<< Background >>The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the Tourism sector more than others and, within the sector, vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities and seniors with aged-related health conditions are among the hardest hit: “they are often excluded from communications on public health and travel updates, decision-making and information on accessibility of basic services. Their health conditions and social isolation can expose them to serious risks” (UN World Tourism Organisation - UNWTO “Inclusive Recovery Guide”, 2020).The central role of management and staff skills in delivering accessibility is seen as one of the pillars for re-building tourism that is safe, healthy and with greater emphasis on customer service, both during and after COVID, as emphasised by the new guidance by UNWTO and the World Tourism and Travel Council (Inclusive and Accessible Guidelines to Aid Global Travel and Tourism Recovery, 2021). People with disabilities and seniors represent an immense market opportunity that is overlooked by the majority of tourism operators (EC Study, “Mapping the Supply and Performance Check of Accessible Tourism Services”, 2015). The tourism sector would benefit greatly by developing facilities and services for this market as a means of driving the recovery after the pandemic: tourism operators and destinations should harness this potential and make accessibility a reality.However, the percentage of tourism operators that can benefit from this potential is still low, due in large part to the lack of staff who are trained to cater for customers with specific access requirements. Courses in disability awareness, accessibility and inclusion are generally not offered in VET institutions as part of the training in tourism management, hospitality and catering. There is, therefore, a need for a major shift towards general training on accessible tourism, especially in this period in which all strategies for a recovery of the tourism sector should be implemented.Despite efforts in some countries and regions, permanent and recognised vocational training offers are very few and are mainly directed to continuing, professional VET while training on accessible tourism for students at VET and higher education levels is not part of mainstream curricula.The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for European vocational education and training systems to offer the tools and skills to provide high-quality digital education. In recent years the spread of new digital technologies has fostered the implementation of new teaching and learning approaches, using innovative digital tools including MOOCs, digital games, Artificial Intelligence and Immersive virtual experiences which are proving to be effective for a wide range of users, especially because they are flexible tools meeting the various learning needs and expectations of trainees. Nevertheless, in the current formal educational context these innovative approaches and tools are still under-represented and relatively untested.New forms of training based on digital technologies require new competences of the teaching staff, who are often little or not at all accustomed to using these tools. This creates additional challenges to the teachers who need to be creative, prepared for life-long learning and professional development in providing high-quality digital education.<< Objectives >>The project DIVETOUR aims at implementing and experimenting, within tourism VET institutions, innovative and inclusive educational approaches and digital tools for delivering new training contents on tourism and accessibility. More specifically, project main objectives are focused at:- reducing the training gap within tourism VET providers on accessible tourism topics, by embedding them in their training offer;- providing VET trainers and learners with new knowledge, skills and competences on possible strategies for the tourism sector recovery after the pandemic, with a focus on accessible tourism challenges and potential;- developing and experimenting new educational approaches and innovative digital training tools by integrating collaborative and game based learning into VET and using new media and digital technologie in a creative and collaborative way;- developing the above mentioned training tools in such a way that they are as inclusive and accessible as possible taking into account the needs and rights of VET learners with disabilities.<< Implementation >>The project DIVETOUR partners are going to:- Share within partnership theoretical and practical knowledge of possible strategies for the recovery of the tourism sector after COVID-19, with a specific focus on accessible tourism challenges and potentials- Develop a portal conceived as an Open Learning Community to be triggered by the implementation of a “connectivist” MOOC containing innovative training modules and immersive 360 videos, and to be integrated with the other project’s results (developed game-based learning, gamification, basic knowledge for the Game-based web App implementation, Chatbots)- Develop 2 learning modules to be integrated in the portal to be used for the MOOC- Develop 4 immersive “360 videos” to be integrated in the portal and to be used for the MOOC- Design, develop, implement and experiment Game-based web app on accessible tourism to ‘learn by playing’ the basics of accessible tourism, customer care and inclusion of people with disability in the tourism sector.- Design, develop, implement and experiment simple and effective Artificial Intelligence tool (chatbot) as both a training and working tool on tourism.- Test created project Results- Evaluate the Results within the partnership- Translate all internally produced material for the Online platform, the game-based web app, the chatbots, the flyer, posters, newsletters and all promotional material from English (the official language of the project) into Lithuanian, Spanish, Italian and Slovenian- Promote the project Results for adoption by VET providers- Share and promote the project results as a whole- Detect strategies for the mainstreaming- Detect strategies for the continuing of the project after its closure<< Results >>The following are the main project results and outcomes that are expected during the project and on its completion:Project Result Id1. Online platform “Open Learning Community”, including:- Design, implementation, and delivery of a “connectivist” MOOC on “New Challenges for Tourism sector after COVID-19” which will be hosted by the Open Learning Community as the core training resource for the tourism sector. The MOOC, targeted to VET beneficiaries, both students and operators in the tourism sector, will include two main training modules: a first one on the appropriate measures to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 crisis in the travel and tourism sector, without compromising accessibility and to accelerate recovery; a second one focused on accessible tourism development as one of the main levers for the recovery of the tourism sector- A digital library of learning materials, including externally available materials (from tourism institutions and from EU-funded accessible tourism projects like TAD, APP TOUR YOU, two Erasmus Plus best practices);- Self-paced and self-directed learning for different target groups (students, professionals)- Digital learning materials, including Good practices (in various fields), delivered via “How to” video Guides, Chat-bots, Gamified learning and immersive “360” video tutorials developed by the partnership. Etc.Project Result Id2. Game-based Web app on accessible tourism - digital innovative and engaging educational tool on accessible tourism to ‘learn by playing’ the basics of accessible tourism, customer care and inclusion of people with disability in the tourism sector. It will be a story-driven game that leads learners to improve their knowledge and skills, based on 4 Missions, corresponding to a learning module and split in several Goals, as intermediate achievements. Game will be built to involve user in a Story based problem which they are required to solve. The application will be integrated in the Open Learning Platform as one of the innovative features available.Project Result Id3. Artificial Intelligence tool (Accessible Tourism chatbot) - simple and effective Chatbots, embedded in the open Learning Comunity portal, which will be developed to give structured information on accessible tourism questions. The Chatbots will also be designed as a practical tool for tourism staff and entrepreneurs who want to enhance the quality of information and communication with customers on inclusive and accessibility issues. In DIVETOUR project, chatbots will also have a didactic function, since learners will be involved in their production and, with trainers’ support, will have to integrate the knowledge of the chatbots, imagining scenarios and possible information needed by customers with specific access requirements, and see if the bot can answer or it needs to be programmed further. So learners will be proactively involved in “training the chatbots”, thus recapping and integrating their acquired knowledge on accessible tourism.