TourXpeRience
Launch of Project on modernising VET for sustainable tourism by leveraging XR technologies
As a new Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE), the TourXpeRience project aims to usher in a new era of technological know-how for tourism students, tourism schools, and tourism VET providers. In order to equip these students and educators with skills that enable them to meet the future of labour and tourism head-on, TourXpeRience mainly focusses on the potential of Extended (XR) technologies, and how these technologies can be used to contribute towards sustainability.
The project with the title “TourXpeRience: Nurturing Entrepreneurial Teaching and Learning for VET Excellence in Tourism Education” funded by the European Commission through the framework programme Erasmus+ in the course of the call “Centres of Vocational Excellence” (ERASMUS-EDU-2024-PEX-COVE) was successfully kicked off in Palermo in March 2025. The main objective of the project is to refresh and modernise Vocational Education and Training (VET) in the tourism sector by employing Extended Reality (XR) technology.
The project is coordinated by the International Centre for the Promotion of Education and Development (CEIPES ETS) located in Sicily, Italy, and the consortium comprises 21 European partners in total: CEIPES ETS; Marco Polo Technical and Economic Institute for Tourism; Learnable; ITS Culture, Tourism, and New Technologies Marche; Technological Center for Furniture and Wood of the Region of Murcia; Technical University of Cartagena; Regional Training and Employment Service of the Region of Murcia; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; Datey Eyrich; Regional Development Agency for Podravje – Maribor; Vocational College for Hospitality and Tourism Maribor; Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute for Sustainable Technologies; SHINE 2Europe; Radom Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Industrial and Business Education & Training Institute – SEV Hellenic Federation of Enterprises; Institute of Greek Tourism Confederation; Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences; Porto Hotel and Tourism School; Warsaw University of Life Sciences; E.A.C.E. European Academy of Certified Education; and INTERSPREAD.
Over the course of 48 months (February 2025 to January 2029), the 21 partners will invest 972 person months to work towards:
- Integrating XR technology into the curricula of VET students, and creating immersive hands-on learning opportunities to foster entrepreneurial know-how, green skills and sustainable tourism practices.
- Providing professional development opportunities to VET teachers and educators, bolstering their digital competencies (especially on XR) through trainings sessions, workshops, and webinars.
- Organising international mobilities for VET students and teachers to allow for cross-border exchanges of best practices, perspectives, and methodologies & joint initiatives on XR and green tourism.
- Fostering entrepreneurial mindsets and innovative eco-friendly ventures through integrating sustainable development and environmental protection practices, leading to a greener tourist industry.
Building on a human-centred approach, TourXpeRience’s main activities are divided into three clusters. Cluster 1 is focussed on training both learners and teachers in labour market-relevant skills and developing curricula and training materials. Cluster 2 is focussed on business-education partnerships and will be in charge of VET internationalisation, attractivity, and mobilities. And finally, Cluster 3 operates on the highest level of bureaucracy, overseeing effective VET governance and proper usage of national and EU financial instruments. In addition to the activities listed above, TourXpeRience will also develop an interactive learning platform and toolkit with 26 didactic XR exercises, as well as workshops centred on EU frameworks (such as GreenComp, EntreComp, LifeComp, etc.).
A total of 11 related work packages (WPs) will be implemented by the project consortium, and INTERSPREAD leads WP9 – Dissemination and Exploitation. As in previous projects, INTERSPREAD’s longstanding experience will be leveraged in order to ensure successful Dissemination, Exploitation, and Communication (DEC) of project results. Through a broad dissemination strategy, TourXpeRience will connect the project with relevant stakeholders and decision-makers at local, national, and European levels, facilitated by a cohesive visual identity and impactful online presence. Last but not least, INTERSPREAD’s coordination of Dissemination and Exploitation will foster a sustainable exchange of ideas and outcomes, supporting the utilization and long-term impact of results.
Links
Keywords
Tourism, vocational education and training, VET, XR, extended reality, AR, VR, MR, virtual reality, technology, sustainability, sustainable tourism, green tourism, Erasmus+, Centres of Vocational Excellence, COVE
