MTTM · MTTMP-119 · Tourism research
IGNOU MTTM Dissertation: Researching and Writing MTTMP-119
The IGNOU MTTM dissertation is MTTMP-119 Dissertation Work, an 8-credit Semester 4 course in the Master of Tourism and Travel Management. Once the synopsis is approved, the real work is research: fixing the study’s platform, collecting tourism data, analysing it against each objective, and writing 10,000 to 15,000 words or more.
The course in one view
What is the IGNOU MTTM dissertation, and what does MTTMP-119 ask of you?
The IGNOU MTTM dissertation refers to MTTMP-119 Dissertation Work, an 8-credit project course listed in Semester 4 of the Master of Tourism and Travel Management (MTTM_NEW) programme of the School of Tourism and Hospitality Service Management (SOTHSM) at Indira Gandhi National Open University. The ignou.ac.in programme page says the course builds research competence through independent research into real-world tourism issues. It comes after MTTM-113 Research Methodology for Tourism and Hospitality, a Semester 3 course covering research design, sampling, data collection, analysis, research ethics and thesis writing. In the earlier MTTM structure the same component was coded MTTM-16, and its Dissertation Guide on eGyanKosh is still the most detailed official document: it recognises MTTM counsellors at study centres as supervisors, expects 10,000 to 15,000 words or more depending on the topic, and accepts evidence ranging from questionnaires to government documents.
This page picks up where the approved synopsis leaves off. The synopsis, proforma and topic list are covered in the IGNOU MTTM project guide for MTTMP-119 on this site. What follows is the part most learners find harder: deciding what kind of study it is, getting usable data from tourists and tourism businesses, and turning that data into chapters an evaluator can follow.
| Course | MTTMP-119 Dissertation Work (older code MTTM-16; often typed MTTMP 119) |
|---|---|
| Programme | Master of Tourism and Travel Management, MTTM_NEW, open and distance learning |
| School | School of Tourism and Hospitality Service Management (SOTHSM); the older guide uses the earlier name SOTHSSM |
| Credits | 8, course type Project (ignou.ac.in programme page) |
| Semester | Semester 4, beside MTTM-116, MTTM-117 and MTTM-118 |
| Methods course | MTTM-113 Research Methodology for Tourism and Hospitality, Semester 3 |
| Length | 10,000 to 15,000 words or more, depending on the topic (MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide) |
| Supervisor | MTTM counsellors at study centres are recognised as supervisors (MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide) |
| Medium | English (programme page) |
| Evaluation fee | Rs 500, the band for project work above 4 credits, paid with the term-end examination form |
| Submission | Single PDF per course on the session’s online project portal; last date fixed by notification each session |
Before any data is collected
Which research platform does your MTTM dissertation stand on?
Name the platform first, because it decides the evidence. The IGNOU MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide borrows J. Jafari’s 1989 map of tourism research, in which writing on tourism falls into advocacy, cautionary, adaptancy and knowledge-based platforms, and then adds a fifth of its own: tourism business research, which uses the methods of business and management research while drawing on the other four as the topic needs.
In practice, an approved synopsis already leans towards one platform, even if it never says so. A study on how a new airport has changed hotel occupancy is an advocacy study; a study of waste on a trekking route is cautionary. Writing the platform into the first paragraph of the methodology chapter tells the evaluator what kind of proof to expect, and it keeps the analysis from drifting into a general essay about tourism in the region.
| Platform | Typical design | Main evidence | Recommendations addressed to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advocacy | Descriptive study of benefits | Employment and income figures, business records, owner interviews | State tourism department, local body |
| Cautionary | Impact study from the host side | Resident survey, observation, local news records | Destination managers, panchayat or municipality |
| Adaptancy | Comparison of two models | Case records of both models, stakeholder interviews | Community groups, NGOs, operators |
| Knowledge-based | Survey of tourist behaviour | Structured tourist questionnaire, visitor statistics | Destination marketers, researchers |
| Tourism business | Case study of one firm or sector | Company data, staff and customer surveys, online reviews | Hotel, airline, travel agency or tour operator management |
Evidence
Where does the data for an MTTM dissertation come from?
From more places than a questionnaire. The MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide lists the forms data can take: written records, articles, copies of rules and regulations, impressions, recorded interviews, the learner’s own diary, observations, questionnaires, government documents, newspaper clippings and minutes of group meetings. Tourism is an unusually document-rich field, and a dissertation that uses two or three of these sources together is easier to defend than one resting on a single survey.
| Source (as the guide names it) | What it can prove | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Questionnaires | Tourist profiles, satisfaction, spending, motivation | Where and when they were filled; see the sampling section |
| Recorded interviews | Why operators, hoteliers or officials act as they do | Consent to record; note date, place and role, not personal details |
| Observations and own diary | Crowding, queues, signage, service delivery at a site | Record the time and day of every observation |
| Government documents | Arrivals, policies, schemes, circuit plans | Cite the year and issuing department exactly |
| Rules and regulations | Licensing, entry fees, heritage or eco-zone limits | Use the version in force during the study period |
| Written records | Occupancy registers, booking data, visitor books | Written permission from the owner of the records |
| Articles and newspaper clippings | Local events, disputes, seasonal problems | Treat reports as claims to be checked, not findings |
| Minutes of group meetings | How a community or association made decisions | Quote only what the group has agreed can be shared |
Secondary statistics deserve one caution. Visitor numbers for a district or monument are often available only as annual totals, so a question about seasonal patterns may need the learner’s own counts or a site’s monthly register. Agree with the supervisor which numbers the study can realistically obtain before writing objectives that depend on them.
Fieldwork
How do you sample tourists who are only passing through?
Tourists are a moving population with no list to sample from, so an MTTM dissertation usually intercepts them at a site and states honestly how that was done. The guide does not prescribe a sample size in the material reviewed for this page; the figure should be agreed with the supervisor and justified in the methodology chapter. The steps below keep a tourist survey defensible.
- Define the respondent. Decide whether the study counts overnight tourists, day visitors, residents or employees, and write that definition into the methodology.
- Choose the intercept point with care. An exit gate, a hotel lobby and a railway station each reach a different kind of visitor. Name the point and the bias it introduces.
- Spread collection across time. Cover weekdays and weekends, and mornings and evenings. If the study runs in one season only, say so; a peak-season survey cannot describe the whole year.
- Use quotas where groups differ. If domestic and foreign tourists are compared, fix a quota for each and call it a quota sample, not a random one.
- Seek permission on private premises. Surveying inside a hotel, resort or managed site needs the manager’s permission; every respondent needs to agree to take part, and names are not needed.
- Pilot before the main round. Try the questionnaire on a handful of visitors, then cut unclear or duplicate questions. Short forms get finished in a queue; long ones do not.
Length and structure
How long is the IGNOU MTTM dissertation, and how should the words be split?
The MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide puts the length at 10,000 to 15,000 words or more, depending on the topic, and advises learners to keep that length and the expected study hours in mind while choosing the topic. No separate length rule for MTTMP-119 appeared on ignou.ac.in during research for this page, so the guide’s figure is the working reference; confirm it with the supervisor or the Programme Coordinator. Help pages, meanwhile, print figures that do not agree with the guide or with each other.
| Figure seen | Where it appears | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Dissertation of 10,000 to 15,000 words or more, depending on the topic | MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide, eGyanKosh | IGNOU document |
| Synopsis of 10,000 to 15,000 words | A help-book publisher’s page | Appears to apply the dissertation length to the synopsis |
| Synopsis of 15 to 20 pages, or 8 to 12 pages | Help and service sites | No official source found; the two ranges conflict |
| Report of 8,000 to 15,000 words, or 70 to 100 pages | Help and service sites | No official MTTMP-119 source found |
| 100 marks, 40 per cent to pass | Help sites | No official MTTMP-119 source found; confirm with the Regional Centre |
Within the guide’s range, the split matters more than the total. The table below is an editorial planning split for a draft of about 12,500 words, built around the chapter an evaluator reads most closely. It is a starting point to discuss with the supervisor, not an IGNOU rule.
| Chapter | Words | Share of the draft |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Introduction, problem and objectives | 1,200 | About 10 per cent |
| 2. Review of literature | 2,000 | About 16 per cent |
| 3. Research methodology | 1,300 | About 10 per cent |
| 4. Profile of the destination or organisation | 1,500 | About 12 per cent |
| 5. Data analysis and interpretation | 4,300 | About 34 per cent |
| 6. Findings, suggestions and conclusion | 2,200 | About 18 per cent |
BK Sahni, who has guided 5,00,000 students till date, notes that MTTM drafts most often overrun in the destination profile: pages of history and attractions copied from brochures and tourism department websites, while the analysis chapter that carries the learner’s own evidence ends up thin. Capping the profile chapter before fieldwork starts keeps the words where the study’s contribution actually sits.
The opening pages
What goes on the first pages of the MTTM dissertation report?
Two sets of instructions apply, and they fit together. The MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide supplies annexures: Annexure A is the Dissertation Proposal Proforma, Annexure B the cover page of the report, and Annexure C its first page. The online project portal then adds particulars that the first page of the uploaded PDF must carry.
| Page | What it carries | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cover page | Dissertation title, supervisor’s name, a statement that the report is submitted to IGNOU for the MTTM degree, student name, enrolment number, study centre, Regional Centre | Annexure B, MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide |
| First page | Programme code, course code, enrolment number, study centre code, Regional Centre, title, and a declaration that the work is original and not submitted or copied from elsewhere | Annexure C, MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide |
| First page of the PDF | Title, learner’s name, programme code, enrolment number as on the ID card (not the control number), Regional Centre code, course code, mobile number and email | Online project portal instructions, December 2023 cycle |
| Attached documents | Approved proforma, synopsis, guide’s bio-data and originality certificate signed and dated by learner and guide, wherever applicable | Online project portal instructions |
Old code, new code. The annexures in the eGyanKosh guide print the course code as MTTM-16, because they were written for the earlier MTTM structure. A learner enrolled in MTTM_NEW writes MTTMP-119, the code on the current programme page, wherever a course code is asked for. If the Regional Centre has issued a revised proforma for MTTMP-119, that version takes precedence over the annexures in the older guide.
Analysis
How do you turn tourism data into findings an evaluator can follow?
The guide describes analysis as constant interaction with the source material: looking at the data in different ways, trying different interpretations, and finally translating the material into a set of arguments around which the report is written. Three habits turn that description into a chapter.
One objective, one block of analysis
Order the analysis chapter by objective, in the same sequence as the introduction. Each block opens by restating the objective, presents the tables or quotations that answer it, and closes with a two or three sentence interpretation. An evaluator should be able to find the answer to objective three without reading objectives one and two.
Interpretation beside every table
A table of percentages is data; a sentence saying that most first-time visitors learned about the site from social media, while repeat visitors relied on friends, is a finding. Write the finding directly under the table, and connect it to the literature reviewed in chapter 2 where it agrees or disagrees.
Suggestions addressed to someone
Tourism suggestions carry weight when they name who should act: the state tourism department, a destination management body, the hotel’s front office, a tour operator. A suggestion such as “tourism should be promoted” names no one and cannot be acted on. Each suggestion should trace back to a finding in chapter 5.
Submission
How is MTTMP-119 submitted, and what does it cost?
MTTMP-119 falls in the higher fee band. The instructions on IGNOU’s online project portal set the project evaluation fee at Rs 300 for project work up to 4 credits and Rs 500 above 4 credits, paid with the term-end examination form; an 8-credit dissertation therefore attracts Rs 500. The same instructions say a report cannot be considered if the fee was not paid with the examination form.
The route has changed over time. The older MTTM-16 guide was written for paper correspondence, with acknowledgement letters sent by Speed Post, and help pages still print a Maidan Garhi address for hard-bound reports. Recent term-end cycles have used a session-specific upload portal on onlineproject.ignou.ac.in, where the report goes as one PDF per course; for the December 2023 cycle the last date was 30 November 2023. Treat the portal notice for your own cycle as current.
- Complete the final draft and obtain the supervisor’s signature on the originality certificate.
- Pay the Rs 500 evaluation fee with the term-end examination form and keep the receipt.
- Scan the full report, with the approved proforma and attachments, into a single clear PDF in one orientation.
- Upload it on the portal notified for the session before the notified last date, and save the confirmation.
The portal instructions state that the viva voce of project reports is conducted by the concerned faculties under the Regional Centre. Whether and when a viva is held for MTTMP-119 in a given session was not confirmed in the documents reviewed, so ask the Regional Centre directly. Steps common to all programmes are set out in the IGNOU project guide on this site.
What goes wrong
Why do MTTM dissertations get sent back for revision?
- A brochure instead of a study. Long descriptions of a destination’s history and attractions, with little evidence gathered by the learner.
- A survey with no stated sample. Percentages reported without saying where, when and how many tourists were asked.
- Objectives that the data cannot answer. An objective about seasonal change supported only by a one-week survey in peak season.
- Old code on the cover. MTTM-16 printed on a report for a learner enrolled under MTTMP-119, or a title that differs from the approved synopsis.
- Unanchored suggestions. Recommendations that name no stakeholder and follow from no finding.
- Missing first-page particulars. A PDF without the enrolment number as on the ID card, the course code or the Regional Centre code, which the portal instructions treat as not in order.
- Copied text. Paragraphs lifted from tourism websites or other reports, which contradicts the declaration of originality printed on the first page under Annexure C.
Quick answers
IGNOU MTTM dissertation: frequently asked questions
Is MTTMP-119 the same as MTTM-16?
They are the same component in two programme structures. MTTMP-119 Dissertation Work is the code in the current Master of Tourism and Travel Management (MTTM_NEW); MTTM-16 was the dissertation code in the earlier MTTM. Learners also type MTTMP 119, MTTMP119, MTTM 16, MTTM16 and MTM-16. Use the code printed in your own programme’s course list.
Is the MTTM dissertation compulsory?
The ignou.ac.in course structure lists MTTMP-119 in Semester 4 beside MTTM-116, MTTM-117 and MTTM-118, and does not mark any Semester 4 course as optional. Confirm with your Regional Centre if your course list differs.
Who can supervise an MTTM dissertation at IGNOU?
The MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide recognises all counsellors of the MTTM programme at study centres as supervisors. Delhi-based learners may approach IGNOU tourism faculty, although the guide advises choosing a supervisor who is easy to reach.
How many words should an IGNOU MTTM dissertation have?
The MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide sets 10,000 to 15,000 words or more, depending on the topic. No separate figure for MTTMP-119 was found on ignou.ac.in, so confirm the expected length with your supervisor.
What is the evaluation fee for MTTMP-119?
Rs 500. IGNOU’s online project portal charges Rs 500 for project work above 4 credits, and MTTMP-119 carries 8 credits. The fee is paid with the term-end examination form, and the receipt may be uploaded with the report.
Is there a viva for the MTTM dissertation?
The online project portal states that the viva voce of project reports is conducted by the concerned faculties under the Regional Centre. Ask your Regional Centre whether a viva applies to MTTMP-119 in your session and when it is scheduled.
Where can the MTTM dissertation guidelines PDF be downloaded?
The MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide, with its proposal proforma and report annexures, is on eGyanKosh under the MTTM-16 Dissertation collection. Topic ideas and synopsis format for the current code are covered in the MTTMP-119 project guide on this site.
Verify before you act: the current MTTM course list, credits and semester placement are on the official IGNOU MTTM programme page, and the MTTM-16 Dissertation Guide is on eGyanKosh. Fees, last dates and the upload route are fixed by notification each session, and instructions from your supervisor, Programme Coordinator or Regional Centre take precedence over this page.
If the dissertation has stalled between an approved synopsis and a usable dataset, a review of the research design, questionnaire and chapter plan before fieldwork starts can prevent a second round of data collection. Details are on the ignouproject.shop project pages.
Independent study-help disclosure: ignouproject.shop is run by Shri Chakradhar Publication Pvt. Ltd. and is not the official website of IGNOU or its School of Tourism and Hospitality Service Management. This article summarises published university documents for guidance only; official notifications on ignou.ac.in prevail over anything written here.
BK Sahni iD 0009-0005-8092-459X
Founder, Shri Chakradhar Publication Pvt. Ltd. & its IGNOU Project study-help brand, helping IGNOU distance-learning students since 2010 and having guided 5,00,000 students till date across MBA, MCom, MA & more. Author of IGNOU exam guides, solved assignments & project reference books.
Disclosure: Shri Chakradhar Publication Pvt. Ltd. and ignouproject.shop are independent third-party study-help services, not the official IGNOU website. Always verify final dates and rules on ignou.ac.in.
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