MODULE "IMPLEMENTATION OF VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGIES FOR TOURISM AND SERVICE SECTOR"

Module volume: 10 ECTS

Student profile: Undergraduate students in tourism, hospitality and service management programmes

The module combines theoretical knowledge with practical application of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies. Students explore how immersive technologies can enhance customer experiences, tourism services, destination management, staff training and service innovation. To support learning, a comprehensive set of educational resources was developed, including lecture presentations, reading materials, practical assignments, multimedia content and a Moodle-based learning environment. Through project-based learning activities, students also developed a range of immersive tourism and service-sector concepts addressing real-world challenges through VR/AR solutions.

The module enables students to:

  • Understand VR/AR concepts and applications;
  • Design immersive tourism experiences;
  • Apply service design principles;
  • Evaluate business and customer value;
  • Plan the implementation of VR/AR solutions;
  • Present and communicate immersive experience concepts.
  • The learning process combines lectures, workshops, case studies, peer feedback and practical project development, providing students with the knowledge and skills required for the emerging field of immersive tourism and service innovation.

Course 1: Foundations of virtual and augmented reality in tourism (3 ECTS)

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts, terminology and applications of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Extended Reality (XR) in tourism and service industries. Students explore how immersive technologies contribute to digital transformation, visitor engagement, destination marketing, hospitality services and tourism innovation.

Topics include:

  • Introduction to VR, AR and XR
  • Tourism 4.0 and digital transformation
  • VR applications in tourism and hospitality
  • AR applications in visitor services
  • User experience, immersion and presence
  • Tourism case studies
  • Opportunities, challenges and future trends

Course 2: Designing virtual and augmented reality experiences for tourism services (3.5 ECTS)

This course focuses on designing immersive tourism experiences rather than technical programming. Students learn how to identify tourism use cases, develop immersive narratives, create storyboards and design user journeys for VR/AR experiences.

Topics include:

  • Experience economy and tourism service design
  • VR/AR use-case identification
  • Storytelling for immersive media
  • User journey mapping
  • Storyboarding techniques
  • Immersive content elements
  • Prototyping and user testing

Course 3: Implementation and evaluation of virtual and augmented reality solutions in tourism (3.5 ECTS)

This course addresses implementation planning, management and evaluation of VR/AR solutions in tourism and service organisations. Students learn how immersive technologies create value and how their impact can be assessed.

Topics include:

  • Implementation planning
  • Operational requirements
  • Business models and value creation
  • Customer experience measurement
  • Tourism marketing and branding
  • Ethics, accessibility and sustainability
  • Project evaluation and presentation

Demonstration materials

To support learning and practical experimentation, WP4 developed a comprehensive collection of educational resources, including:

  • Lecture presentations
  • Reading materials
  • Moodle learning environment
  • Practical assignments
  • Storyboarding templates
  • User journey design exercises
  • WarpVR tutorials and examples
  • 360-degree multimedia content
  • VR scenario development examples

The materials demonstrate how immersive technologies can be used in tourism education without requiring advanced programming skills.