eLearning Courses for Tourism and Heritage during a Pandemic: The Case of 'Tourism Management at UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Vol. 3)'

Abstract

The tourism industry relies heavily on new technological advancements; through them, hospitality and service businesses can perform their operations, influence and predict future trends and visitors' demands, and create new experiences. Due to its characteristics - high staff turnover, seasonality, a delicate equilibrium of micro, small and medium enterprises as well as global business conglomerates - the tourism sector must adapt at the same pace of innovations in digital technologies in order to survive. Education and training have been adopting digital media and Information and Communication Technologies (icts) extensively in instances where traditional face-to-face lessons are not possible or sustainable. Where learning activities happen online thanks to digital means, we speak of 'eLearning,' which has shown to be beneficial in terms of cutting costs, offering time and space flexibility and, in the case of the tourism industry, in keeping tourism operators continuously updated, upskilled and engaged with industry and consumer trends. With the outbreak of covid-19 in 2020, the usefulness and flexibility of digital technologies for education and training have become even more apparent. Remote work or telecommuting have become an integral part of people's lives and workplaces. In many instances, eLearning proved to be the key element for an industry's survival - and in some cases success. In this paper, the case of a particular type of eLearning phenomenon will be analysed: that of so-called Massive Open Online Courses, or 'moocs.' The example of the third volume of a mooc series dedicated to tourism and heritage, 'Tourism Management at World Heritage Sites (Vol. 3),' will be used to outline the characteristics of its learners, as well as to show the significance and relevance of eLearning for the tourism and heritage sector.