On 11 March 2026, Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) welcomed a group of 11 visiting French teachers and students to its Athlone campus for a virtual reality (VR) workshop. The event also served as a mini launch for Work Package 3 of the Erasmus+ UPLIFT project, connecting international educational exchange with the possibilities of immersive tourism.
The workshop provided an opportunity to introduce VR within a learning environment and share UPLIFT’s focus on bringing film, literature and places to life through immersive experiences.
Connecting technology with stories and places
Virtual reality offers opportunities to explore how people experience and understand a destination. In film and literary tourism, it could help visitors encounter a story’s setting, explore a location remotely or discover a different perspective on cultural heritage.
These possibilities are central to UPLIFT, which supports educators, learners and tourism professionals in exploring immersive technologies. Alongside technical knowledge, the project encourages consideration of the story being told, the intended audience and the value an experience can offer.
The TUS workshop brought these themes into an international education setting, with teachers and students participating together.
Introducing Work Package 3
As a mini launch event for Work Package 3, the workshop helped introduce UPLIFT’s practical learning activities to the visiting group. This part of the project supports the development of immersive tourism ideas through workshops, learning materials and implementation support.
Hosting the event at TUS created a connection between the project’s European objectives and a local learning activity. It also provided a way to introduce the project to an audience beyond Ireland.
Learning across borders
The visit highlighted the value of connecting European project work with educational exchanges. Bringing teachers and students together around VR creates opportunities to consider its relevance from both teaching and learning perspectives.
For TUS, the workshop was an opportunity to share its involvement in UPLIFT and engage an international group with the project’s themes. It also illustrated how a small event can contribute to wider awareness of emerging approaches in tourism education.
Continuing the exploration
The workshop formed one part of UPLIFT’s wider effort to make immersive tourism more accessible. Educators, students and businesses interested in exploring further can access the project’s research, best practice examples, video lessons, workshops and implementation clinics.
These resources offer starting points for considering how stories, places and digital tools could come together in an engaging visitor experience.