We are excited to introduce you to the UPLIFT project! UPLIFT (Unlocking the Potential of Immersive Literary and Film Tourism) is a new initiative aiming to reshape the European tourism sector by integrating immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) into the Vocational Education and Training (VET) curriculum. This project will equip VET students, educators, and tourism professionals with the skills they need to innovate in a rapidly evolving industry.
Why UPLIFT?
The tourism industry in Europe is increasingly driven by demand for unique, engaging visitor experiences. Film and literary tourism—where fans travel to locations featured in books, movies, or television series—is one of the most exciting ways to explore culture and heritage. By harnessing immersive technologies, UPLIFT enables tourism professionals to bring these stories to life, providing deeper engagement for visitors and expanding growth opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Project Goals and Outputs
Through UPLIFT, we aim to:
- Equip over 150 future tourism leaders with skills in immersive technology.
- Directly train 20+ stakeholders and involve 100+ VET students, educators, and professionals.
- Reach more than 1,000 individuals through digital platforms to share resources and updates.
The project will deliver a range of outputs to support these goals, including an immersive skills resource pack, industry best practices, and video-based learning modules. By embedding these tools into VET curricula, UPLIFT will help the tourism sector build digital skills, embrace technological transformation, and support SMEs to leverage immersive technologies.
Work Packages
The project is structured into several Work Packages, each addressing a specific aspect of the project’s goals. Two WPs we want to highlight are:
- Work Package 2 (Research and Best Practices): Focuses on researching the current landscape of immersive tourism, identifying opportunities, and compiling best practices. This Work Package will involve interviews with industry experts and desk research to build a comprehensive knowledge base for the project.
- Work Package 3 (Immersive Skills Development): Develops learning materials and resources that will be integrated into VET curricula, focusing on immersive technology skills. Outputs will include interactive workshops, training modules, and a video repository to support hands-on learning.
Who’s Involved?
UPLIFT is a collaboration of partners across Europe, each bringing expertise in education, tourism, and technology:
- Technological University of the Shannon (Ireland)
- University of Akureyri (Iceland)
- Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania)
- Visja strokovna šola za gostinstvo in turizem Maribor (Slovenia)
- Feltech Software Innovations Ltd (Ireland)
- European E-learning Institute (EUEI) (Denmark)
Together, we are working to provide hands-on training, industry insights, and innovative resources that will enable tourism professionals to enhance visitor experiences and bring film and literary tourism to life.
What’s Next?
As we kick off the UPLIFT project, our first steps include setting up the project website and social media channels, where we’ll share regular updates, event announcements, and insights from our research and training activities. We also plan to host a series of webinars and seminars, inviting industry experts to discuss the latest trends and technologies in immersive tourism.
We invite you to follow our journey as we unlock the potential of immersive tourism in Europe. Stay tuned for updates on our website at uplifttourism.eu and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for the latest news and resources.
Thank you for joining us as we work to shape the future of tourism through immersive technology!