Diploma in Adventure
Tourism Management
Adventure tourism is a global industry that needs skilled, safety-focused leaders. QRC’s Diploma combines operational, risk and business training with a fully paid nine-month internship in Queenstown, helping you graduate with the experience and confidence to build a career in the industry.
Course Duration
21 Months
Course Level
NZQF Level 6
Next Intakes
January, April, July, October
Internship
9 months, fully paidAcross Terms 3 & 4
Qualification
NZ Diploma in Adventure Tourism Management
Degree Pathway
Progress to a bachelor's degree
2027 Prospectus Graduate outcomes, degree pathways, fees, and what to expect at QRC.
Overview
A management career in the world's adventure capital starts here.
Adventure tourism is expanding worldwide and it runs on managers who understand both the thrill and the business behind it. QRC's Adventure Tourism Diploma trains you in the operations, safety systems, and commercial skills that keep world-class adventure businesses running, taught in the heart of New Zealand’s adventure tourism industry,
What makes QRC different
Learn to manage the business behind the thrills, from operations and safety to leadership and customer experience. Based in Queenstown, you’ll study alongside one of New Zealand’s largest networks of adventure tourism operators, giving you direct exposure to the industry and real insight into the career ahead.
World-class learning environment
The programme combines practical training with essential business knowledge across service quality, operations, product development, event planning, risk management and sustainability, helping you graduate with a versatile skill set and a strong understanding of the adventure tourism industry.
Adventure tourism is now an experience business.
Visitors don't remember the ride. They remember how it made them feel, and who they told about it.
At QRC you learn to build and deliver the complete visitor experience: tight operations, sound risk management, and a service culture that earns loyalty, not just bookings.
Small classes. Big support.
QRC classes are small by design, giving you more personalised support from tutors who know your name, understand your goals and are invested in where you are heading.
Students progress and wellbeing are supported throughout your time at QRC, so challenges are identified early and you are never left to navigate them alone. Pastoral care, academic support, internship guidance and career advice work together to help you stay on track and make the most of every opportunity.
Pastoral care
Dedicated support for your wellbeing, helping you feel supported both inside and outside the classroom.
Academic support
Strong academic support to help you work through challenges, build confidence in your learning and stay on track.
Internship guidance
Dedicated support from the Internship Team, from preparing for placement through to completing your 9-month internship and returning to QRC.
Your room is sorted
All diploma students are guaranteed a place in QRC's Halls of Residence. Secure, comfortable, and right in the heart of Queenstown - accommodation is one less thing to worry about.
The industry expects professionalism. We build it in.
At QRC, professional excellence goes beyond technical knowledge. Students are expected to demonstrate the attitude, presentation and conduct required in leading hospitality and tourism workplaces.
Our Professional Excellence system helps students build strong habits around attendance, punctuality, personal presentation, courtesy, honesty and respect. Alongside QRC’s professional uniform standards, it encourages students to take responsibility for their personal brand and prepares them to enter the industry with confidence.
How the PE system works
Each student begins the term with 100 Professional Excellence points. Points may be deducted when professional standards are not met, including for unexplained absences, lateness or inappropriate conduct.
Students whose points fall below the required standard meet with their Programme Leader or Academic Director to discuss support, expectations and a plan for improvement. Ongoing concerns may affect a student’s ability to continue in the programme.
Full details of the Professional Excellence system are outlined in the programme handbook.
Look the part from day one
All students will be provided with a uniform which reflects the highest industry standards. For Hospitality Management students this is a professional business suit and includes the
- 1 cotton T-shirt
- 1 merino polo shirt
- 1 long sleeve merino top with collar
- 1 soft shell jacket
- 1 pair of full length trousers
- 1 pair of shorts
- 1 name badge
Students are required to bring smart black sports shoes and black socks to accompany the uniform.
Internships
Putting Theory into Practice.
The nine-month, fully paid internship is central to QRC’s Adventure Tourism Management Diploma and creates a seamless transition from study into graduate employment. It is not work experience added onto the programme; it is where the knowledge and practical skills developed in your first two terms are applied in a real role with a real employer.
Across a minimum of 1,000 hours, you’ll gain hands-on industry experience, build professional confidence and learn to work to industry standards. You’ll strengthen your ability to manage yourself, contribute effectively within a team, analyse workplace policies and processes, and use proven industry practices to solve real problems. By the time you return to QRC, you’ll have the experience and professional maturity needed to take the next step in your career.
“My internship helped me decide where I could see myself in the future working in hospitality. I was part of the opening team to bring the brand new luxury Sofitel in Adelaide to life, which was an entirely new and exciting experience for me!”
Work where it matters to you.
Strong placements start with strong preparation. QRC’s Internship Team supports you through every stage, from refining your CV and preparing for interviews to practising with industry partners and building the confidence to present yourself professionally.
With extensive knowledge of the sector and its employers, the Internship team helps connect you with opportunities that align with your strengths, goals and career direction, so you begin your internship prepared to contribute, learn and make the most of the experience.
Internships connect students with leading industry operators in an environment where tourism and hospitality are part of everyday life. This gives them the opportunity to contribute in a real workplace, build valuable connections and become active members of the industry.
Flexible start dates
Our students are employed for a minimum of 9 months and are required to achieve a minimum of 1,000 hours of work before they return to QRC for their second year. Flexibility for shorter or longer periods can be agreed upon discussion with all parties.
Students complete a fully paid internship of at least nine months and 1,000 hours before returning to QRC for Terms Five and Six. Where needed, start and finish dates may be adjusted in consultation with the student, employer and QRC Internship Team.
Work as a genuine member of the team in a real industry role- Apply for positions and complete the employer’s recruitment process
- Follow workplace policies, procedures and professional standards
- Represent yourself and QRC professionally throughout your internship
- Build the skills, experience and connections that may lead to future opportunities
- A role with meaningful responsibilities
- Receive practical training and real workplace experience
- Have ongoing guidance, feedback and support
- Exposure to different departments, career paths and workplace challenges
- Paid work to help offset study and living costs
- A final performance report at the end of your internship
AJ Hackett Bungy, Queenstown
"My time here at AJ Hackett is summed up by the fact that I actually don't enjoy my days off, as I would rather be at work with my friends having a fantastic time."
"AJ Hackett is synonymous with Adventure Tourism around the world, and I am lucky enough to be working as part of the team here in Queenstown. I am training to eventually be responsible for the final launch of people off the bridge and I cannot wait! Being qualified in New Zealand as a Jump Master means I can work for AJ Hackett all over the world. AJ Hackett currently employ 24 QRC students; both interns and graduates. I love that my team leaders and managers are QRC graduates and have taken on a mentoring role for me and other interns.
My time here at AJ Hackett is summed up by the fact that I actually don't enjoy my days off, as I would rather be at work with my friends having a fantastic time. Risk and safety management is a huge part of what we do here - the Risk Management and Operations Management papers I completed in Terms 1 & 2 at QRC provided me with the skills and understanding to deal with the realities of the industry.
My goal once I complete my Diploma is to return to work here at AJ Hackett and progress through to a Management level. It is such an exciting company with global development possibilities."
"My role here at AJ Hackett Bungy is working within the operations team as a Junior Jump Operator. I get to experience all aspects of the Bungy operation from start to finish, including customer service, making sure our customers are harnessed up and connected to the Bungy, then collecting them in the raft at the bottom once they have gone through with their jump!"
Outcomes
Graduate with more than a qualification.
From your first conversation with QRC to your final day on campus, you’ll have a team behind you. Our Future Student Advisers help you choose the right study pathway, while Student Services provides ongoing academic, personal and pastoral support throughout your journey.
Through practical learning, QRC’s Professional Excellence System and a nine-month paid internship, you’ll build real workplace experience, valuable industry connections and the professional habits employers look fo
85% are working in their field within six months of graduating.
Most have job offers before they finish.
Build a career that can take you anywhere
Course Outline
What you'll study
Each stage of the programme builds your industry knowledge, practical experience and business capability. You’ll begin by exploring how adventure tourism operates, develop skills in areas such as risk, operations and visitor experience, then apply your learning during a nine-month paid internship.
You’ll return to QRC with real-world experience and build the leadership and business skills needed to progress in the tourism industry.
Term 1 - Industry Immersion
Explore the adventure tourism industry and build foundational skills in tourism operations, customer service, communication and professional practice.
Term 2 - Operations, Risk and Business Skills
Develop your understanding of adventure tourism operations, risk management, event planning, marketing and business fundamentals.
Terms 3 & 4 – Nine-Month Paid Internship
Complete at least 1,000 hours in a paid adventure tourism or tourism role, applying your learning, gaining hands-on experience and building valuable industry connections.
Term 5 - Tourism Development and Leadership
Return to QRC to explore leadership, business development, sustainable tourism, consumer behaviour and the future of the tourism industry.
Term 6 - Business Management
Strengthen your expertise in law, people management, economics, accounting, sales and marketing, then bring your learning together through a business strategy simulation.
Graduate
Career-ready, qualified, connected.
Year 1
Term One is about building your understanding of Queenstown’s adventure tourism industry. It forms the “Think It” stage of QRC’s unique learning process.
*External provider - Workplace First Aid Training Ltd
Term Two, allows students to develop the theory and practical skills behind running safe, successful adventure tourism operations.
A minimum 1,000 hour paid industry internship, where you apply what you have learned with a world-class operator.
Year 2
Term five builds on the practical experience gained during your internship and introduces concepts in the tourism management field.
The final term rounds out your business management capability across law, people, finance and strategy.
Your diploma opens doors worldwide
Build on your QRC diploma through established degree pathways in New Zealand and overseas. Eligible graduates may receive credit for previous study, allowing them to complete a bachelor’s degree in less time, with some pathways requiring as little as seven months of additional study.
International
Study hospitality where the world checks in.
Queenstown welcomes visitors from every corner of the globe, and at QRC, the town becomes your classroom. Our internationally recognised Level 6 Diploma combines small-class learning, practical business training and Swiss-inspired standards of service excellence with a nine-month paid internship.
You’ll graduate with at least 1,000 hours of real industry experience, valuable professional connections and the confidence and management skills to build a hospitality career in New Zealand or around the world.
Earn while you learn
Complete a nine-month, fully paid internship with a New Zealand hospitality employer and gain at least 1,000 hours of professional experience.
Supported from day one
Receive personalised teaching, academic support and internship guidance from tutors and staff who know your goals.
Your Queenstown home is sorted
A place in QRC’s centrally located halls of residence is guaranteed before you leave home.
Take your study further
Eligible graduates can continue to the University of Otago Bachelor of Entrepreneurship in Queenstown or explore degree pathways in Australia and Switzerland. Post study work rights may be available.
Entry Requirements
Who can apply?
All applicants are interviewed as part of the admissions process.
All applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age at course commencement. Some discretion applies for domestic enrolments.
NCEA Level 2 with 48 credits at Level 2 or above across four approved subjects, plus literacy and numeracy. Equivalent Australian (VCE/ATAR 50+), Cambridge (CIE) and International Baccalaureate qualifications are also accepted.
International applicants must meet the equivalent academic standard and demonstrate English language proficiency. See our international requirements page for full details. https://www.qrc.ac.nz/international-students/
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will be granted where your prior study or work experience is considered to be equivalent to all the learning outcomes for a particular QRC paper.
Students are required to supply their own laptop computer for the duration of the programme.
Ready to apply?
We review every application individually. If you're not sure whether you meet the requirements, our admissions team is here to help.
Fees
Course Costs
Below are the 2026 domestic fees for the Adventure Tourism Management Diploma. For international student fees, click here.
Your 9-month internship is fully paid - at least minimum wage - helping offset the cost of your study while you gain world-class experience.
*Tuition fees are subject to annual increases. Fees include course-related costs: uniform, use of specialised equipment, textbooks, printing and data allowance, practical class costs, and familiarisation visits.
- $500 held as an Accommodation Bond if staying in Halls of Residence (refundable at end of stay)
- $200 applied as an administrative placement charge for Halls 1 month prior to course start
Additional course and service costs may apply during your study. Get in touch with our team for a full breakdown of general fees.
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Download the Full 2027 Info Pack
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