Beyond the Souvenir: A Multi-Regional Project for Authentic and Sustainable Hospitality Education

Project Aim

The overarching ambition of the project is to drive transformative change within the hospitality and tourism sector through practice-oriented, quality education. By focusing on capacity building, collaboration and sustainability, the project seeks to empower individuals and communities in East Africa (Uganda hub), South-East Asia (Vietnam hub) and South America (Ecuador hub) through inclusive and sustainable tourism growth.

Project Objectives

To strengthen educational capacities and performance in sustainable hospitality and tourism.
To equip graduates with a global perspective and necessary skills to minimize tourism’s ecological footprint, protect valuable resources and cultures, and ensure local communities benefit from tourism growth.
To foster multi-regional collaboration through joint course development, staff mobility, scholarships, and stakeholder and alumni network development.
To establish regional hubs for collaboration, capacity building, and innovation in hospitality and tourism.
To integrate sustainability principles into education and practice, minimizing environmental impact and maximizing social and economic benefits.

Project Outcome

The project is expected to produce several tangible outcomes, including: 4 regional hubs for collaboration, capacity building and innovation; a jointly developed online modular course on sustainable hospitality and tourism integrating global perspectives; practice-oriented research on sustainability in tourism; ICP Connect scholarships resulting in graduates who act as change agents in their local communities; staff mobility programs fostering cross-cultural exchange and collaboration; stakeholder advisory boards providing feedback and engagement; established alumni networks with online platforms and regional events; practical labs (cooking, banquet, computer labs) established at partner institutions; and strengthened multi-institutional and multi-stakeholder partnerships. The long-term impact aims to be graduates equipped with high-quality education and practical skills who spearhead initiatives to promote sustainability, innovation and inclusivity in hospitality and tourism operations, contributing to inclusive and sustainable economic growth (SDGs 1, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15 & 17).

Team Members

VIVES University of Applied Sciences (Belgium) – Flemish Coordinator, Lead on Online Learning Platform, Project Management, Alumni Network Platform
Mountains of the Moon University (Uganda) – Partner, Regional Hub East Africa, Module Development
Makerere University Business School (Uganda) – Partner, Regional Hub East Africa, Module Development
Quy Nhon University (Vietnam) – Partner, Regional Hub South-East Asia, Module Development
University of Cuenca (Ecuador) – Partner, Regional Hub South America, Module Development

Project Period
6 years (1 September 2024 – 31 August 2030)

Project Funder
VLIR-UOS (Flemish Interuniversity Council – University Development Cooperation) through the ICP Connect (International Course Programme) funding scheme

Project Leadership
The project is coordinated by VIVES University of Applied Sciences (Belgium) as the Flemish coordinator. The promotor is also coordinator of distance learning at VIVES. VIVES oversees overall project implementation, monitoring, budget management, and the online learning platform. Each partner institution has a local coordinator responsible for regional implementation. The project is governed by a steering committee composed of promotors from VIVES and each partner institution.

Principal Investigator
VIVES University of Applied Sciences