In the contemporary travel landscape, virtual reality (VR) integration has ushered in a novel paradigm, particularly influential among Generation Z. This demographic, inherently familiar with digital technologies, increasingly gravitates towards virtual tourism, an eco-friendly and resource-conscious alternative to traditional travel. Virtual tourism, the alternative to actual travel, offers immersive experiences that are both accessible and sustainable, reducing the environmental impact associated with conventional tourism. This paper examines how virtual travel could serve as a sustainable travel practice, crucial for preserving cultural and natural resources while providing meaningful experiences. The appeal of virtual tourism lies in its ability to deliver diverse and enriched experiences without the physical and environmental costs of travel. This form of tourism not only aids in conserving sensitive ecosystems and heritage sites but also offers inclusivity for individuals unable to travel due to economic or physical barriers. Furthermore, virtual tourism’s potential to simulate endangered or inaccessible sites can play a pivotal role in educational initiatives and global awareness. This study explores the motivations behind Generation Z’s engagement with virtual travel through detailed analysis and empirical data. It discusses how virtual tourism could be strategically developed to support sustainable tourism practices. This approach underscores a shift towards more responsible and conscious travel behaviours aligned with the sustainable values of Generation Z. The purpose of this paper is to detect the main trends in the development of virtual tourism as the new form of travel, with special emphasis on Generation Z’s preferences in future virtual travel as a substitute for actual physical travel.

Within the ECoC programme, it has been argued that the European dimension is most visible when the candidates reflect their own history as a part of European history, particularly when hinting at their involvement with the major ideologies of twentieth century, such as National Socialism or Communism. ECoC is about cities re-inventing their identities, re-narrating their history in a European context. But how should ex-communist cities deal with their unwanted past and narrate it in order to fit into the European dimension of the project? The focus of this investigation is on three ex-ECOCs from ex-Communist Europe, chosen for several reasons: geographical position (Central, Eastern/Northern European countries, ex-communist past, new membership of the European Union (since 2004), the year of holding the title (the two ECoC selection criteria exist since 2010). Using qualitative content analysis on a set of documents (application books, official web pages and ex-post evaluations) the study will offer an analysis of cities’ politics of memory and urban regeneration strategies.

The travel industry is entering a challenging new era, with new forms of tourism emerging, enhanced by extended realities and other improvements driven by immersive technologies. The use of augmented reality (AR) at heritage and other cultural tourism locations is becoming a standard for the improved offer, enabling the users to have an immersive experience combining the present and the past of the venue. However, the technological improvements in virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) concepts, with the inevitable emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing and co-creating and co-designing of virtual experiences, offers an opportunity for a new branch of the industry – virtual tourism, the form of travel that allows visiting different locations without leaving the place of residence. Virtual tourism does not necessarily represent a threat to the contemporary travel industry, but rather a new opportunity. The new form of tourism could reach both travelers, as an additional offering – cheaper, more affordable, and not as time-consuming as the actual travel, and non-travelers, as the completely new market. The recent COVID-19 pandemic showed that virtual experiences could be a temporary supplement for touristic experiences when travel is not an option. Also, global sustainability policies and consumer trends, accompanied by the “flight shame” phenomenon, and different sorts of travel risks, like health issues and terrorism, together with longevity trends, add additional arguments for virtual tourism as the future of travel. New generations, digital natives of the 21st century, as the ones more open toward new technologies, seem as the logical market for the newly designed tourism products in the metaverse. The book chapter provides an overview of scientific literature on the emergence of immersive tourism, with an emphasis on virtual tourism as a new phenomenon. It deals with potential problems in creating virtual travel experiences that provide an issue for tourism policymakers and propose potential solutions. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->

The 21st century has witnessed astonishing transformation in the way the world functions, especially regarding the integration of technology in the educational landscape. Hence, in keeping with the goal of developing a highly educated populace, the educational system is currently under immense pressure to adapt to the digital age, aiming to produce graduates who can excel not only academically but also in their personal lives, professional careers, and employment. Therefore, the 21st century learning environment is receiving attention to achieve the goals of developed nations in Malaysia. A quasi-experimental research design was performed to examine the effects of the 21stcentury learning environment based on 21st Century Acculturation Module on 21st Century Skills and Academic Achievement (AA). The study included 120 form-four students who took Science subjects from secondary schools in Malaysia. Data analysis included means, standard deviations, independent sample T-test, and PLS-SEM. The result shows there were significant differences between the control group and the experimental group in terms of 21st Century Skills enhancement. Research findings also show a substantial difference in students AA between the experimental and control groups. The results gathered from PLS-SEM showed that the developed module moderates the Life and Career (LC) skills and AA relationships. It is evident that the module produced by the amalgamation of Dale’s Cone of Experiences and Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Frameworks along with the use of technology in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) improved students’ 21st Century Skills, and the students also performed better in AA.