Tourism’s rapid growth has significant and negative effects on the environment, society, and economy. Sustainable tourism practices are essential in order to mitigate these effects. Virtual reality (VR) technologies offer the possibility of implementing sustainable tourism policies by providing immersive experiences that replace real ones. Moreover, VR can be a useful tool for the protection and promotion of cultural and natural heritage. The article discusses the potential directions for sustainable tourism using VR. This technology can reduce the burden on popular tourist sites without losing their value to visitors. Additionally, it can promote less popular destinations in the wider public awareness. A case study of the implementation of a virtual tour at the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum in Khiva (Uzbekistan) is presented. The research method was designed to evaluate the acceptability of VR technology among a convenience sampling of n = 57 Gen Z consumers (university students 20–24 years of age), who completed interviews following their participation in a voluntary virtual walking tour. The research results suggest that VR can be an acceptable and useful tool for implementing sustainable tourism policies in the near future. Another conclusion is that virtual sightseeing should not fully replace onsite tourism.

Lublin University of Technology has been offering computer science studies for over 25 years. From the beginning, computer graphics have played a crucial role in the studies program. The Lab3D international efforts aimed at cultural heritage 3D digitization allowed for enriching the regular introductory course of computer graphics with elements of digitized real-life heritage, without disturbing the regular didactic process, nor the scope of the course learning outcomes. Such an activity was aimed at increasing the students’ engagement in learning and fits into the contemporary trend of including real-life cases in the course of teaching. The article presents the curriculum (including the changes introduced) together with an extensive analysis of the effect of such changes on students’ achievements. In total, 3042 grades of 1522 students from the years 2018–2024 underwent statistical analysis in order to support answering placed hypotheses related to keeping the effects positive or neutral. Luckily, students’ achievements did not worsen, and in fact significantly improved. To the authors’ knowledge, such an analysis in relation to computer graphics courses has never been published before.