On 29 and 30 January, IQS hosted the launch sessions of the European Erasmus+ EcoHarmony project led by IQS and URL. Dr Gilda Hernández Maskvivker, director of the IQS Department of Tourism, Sustainability, and Innovation and coordinator of the Tourism, Sustainability, and Innovation (TSI) research group, is leading this project that aims to integrate sustainable tourism within higher education by building bridges between academic excellence and real-world impacts to foster a greener, more inclusive, and more resilient tourism sector.
IQS-URL is leading the Erasmus+ EcoHarmony project, a European consortium aiming to integrate sustainable tourism within higher education, building bridges between academic excellence and real-world impacts to foster a greener, more inclusive, and more resilient tourism sector.
The group is a European consortium formed by seven members from six countries: IQS – URL, project leaders and coordinators, The Association of Sustainable Education and Health Academy (SEHA) from Turkey, the University of Zagreb – Faculty of Agriculture from Croatia, the Confederazione Nazionale dell’Artigianato (CNA) from Italy, the Fundació Sieneva from Spain, the University of Western Macedonia from Greece, and Eu Pro Training and Consultancy from the Netherlands.
On behalf of IQS – URL, in addition to Dr Gilda Hernández, Dr Daniela Freund, Dr Belén Derqui, Dr Albert Fornells, Dr Itziar Ramírez, and Dr Francesc Teixidó, all professors and researchers at the university, are also participating in EcoHarmony.
A project based on the development of microcredentials
EcoHarmony is aligned with the European Union’s sustainability agenda to address critical global challenges such as climate change, responsible resource management, and ethical governance in tourism. The incorporation of the Global Framework for Sustainable Tourism into academic curricula, the main objective of the project, will provide European students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote sustainability in the tourism sector.
The objectives of the project are as follows:
- To compile information from education professionals and experts in the tourism sector to develop an integrated curriculum in anonline format through the launch of a digital collaboration platform.
- To implement a microcredential framework, or specific training capsules.
- To improve education in sustainable tourism and assess its impact.
- Finally, to promote a more inclusive, sustainable, and competitive tourism sector.
Microcredentials are a European Union initiative to promote quality university education. They entail digital certifications that attest to students gaining all the training and information necessary to demonstrate professional competence and develop key skills.
EcoHarmony Kick-off Meeting
The project launch sessions were a great success, achieving alignment between partners, fostering stronger links, and laying the foundations for the next steps to be taken in the project. The sessions highlighted the importance of partnerships, higher education as an agent of change, and the holistic integration of tourism sustainability.
Members had the opportunity to share their preliminary results, which were derived fromfocus groups where they were able to develop ideas about what the fundamental pieces regarding sustainable tourism should be in a curriculum. IQS highlighted the shortcomings in current tourism studies, such as greenwashing and the lack of technology knowledge, what the objective values are (gender equality, solidarity, empathy, and circular economy), and what tools are needed to improve results, such as having expert speakers in the classrooms or immersive experiences, in order to regenerate and minimize impacts from tourism.
The other members contributed other aspects to be considered by EcoHarmony, such as: innovative teaching methodologies (internships, field work, enhancing connections between students and the sector, etc.), challenges (lack of tourist awareness, training the trainers, gender balance, lack of commitment in the organizational field, etc.), and opportunities (executive education focused on managerial profiles and a lifelong learning approach).
The overall conclusion of the sessions was the importance of making tourism attractive, increasing interest and employability, and ensuring that it tourism is sustainable.
The EcoHarmony project is funded by the European Union.
COLLABORATORS
