Hólar University (HU) in the north of Iceland has three departments: Tourism Studies, Aquaculture and fish biology and Equine Studies. The HU Tourism Studies department teachers are a blend of academics and people with long experience in many facets of tourism. Our activities often mix knowledge and perspectives from both academic research and experience from businesses. One of our strengths is our close ties and experience with local businesses and communities and mixing that with academic research and rigour.
Resource 3 Capacity Building Conference, Events, and Clinics: Capacity Building for Sustainable Alternative Tourism Education.
As Holar University (HU) leads the project, Kjartan´s role involves managing the project. This includes, among other things quarterly progress evaluation and monitoring, overseeing the quality management and being responsible for the financial management of the project. Both Kjartan and Magnea will contribute their knowledge, ideas, content, data, and know-how in the development of each of the resources, focusing on their specific skill sets and expertise.
Holar University is supporting VSGT in developing the Capacity Building and Sustainability Resource which will include a learning and exchange activity in Slovenia leading to the development of capacity-building work, and resources, ensuring the successful integration of Epic Stays’s results into tourism VET and businesses. They will also deliver a series of implementation clinics, which HU will lead and provide one-to-one support with a focus on VET educators. These clinics will provide mentoring style guidance on integrating Epic Stays resources into their work to contribute to their long-term sustainability, impact, and uptake.
Kjartan Bollason, MA Environmental Science, is an associate professor at the Tourism studies department at Holar University. He has a master degree in environmental science and specialises in environmental management systems (EMS), outdoor experience design, design and planning for manmade and tourism facilities projects, teaching and practical research.
Magnea Lára Elínardóttir, Assistant project manager and researcher.
Magnea is currently working as an researcher at the Tourism department of Hólar University and concurrently working on her masters thesis. Magnea’s background is in innovation, vocational education and curriculum design and freelance design and consultant in the advertisement industry.
NHL Stenden is a medium-sized university of applied sciences based in Leeuwarden, Friesland, in the Netherlands, offering higher professional education programs in a wide range of disciplines such as healthcare, technology, education, leisure, events, tourism, and hospitality. NHL Stenden is a multi-campus organization with several locations in the Northern Netherlands. Using a design-based approach, students work in co-creation with public and private partners to tackle real-life challenges from relevant industries.
Resource 2 Online Curriculum and VET Course: Empowering Education and Bridging Skills Gaps for Sustainable Alternative Accommodation SMEs.
NHL Stenden (supported by Momentum Consulting) is responsible for developing the Epic Stays Online Curriculum and VET Course, which will be designed to bridge the skills and knowledge within the alternative tourism accommodation sector. This involves NHL designing flexible modules tailored to VET educators and self-directed study. NHL is leading the development of this comprehensive curriculum and online course, offering modules ranging from market research to sustainable tourism practices and business planning. There will be a focus on content addressing the needs of this niche market and the businesses involved. They will be developing the program in such a way that it is practical and easily integrated into the daily operations of such businesses, educational organizations, and wider stakeholders. Both Radu and Lucia have the backgrounds to support this resource spanning urban planning, urban development, and sustainable tourism management, and are currently delivering a course in ‘Alternative Accommodations in Italy and Beyond’.
Dr. Radu Mihailescu has a degree in Economics from University of Port Elizabeth and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa. He started his academic career as an Economics lecturer and course coordinator at the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. In 2008, he moved to Italy, where he taught microeconomics at the Free University of Bolzano. He was also appointed as Senior Lecturer in Economics and Tourism at the University of Malta, where he taught for a couple of years. More recently, Radu worked as a senior lecturer and module co-ordinator at NHL Stenden South Africa before moving back to Europe and continuing his career at NHL Stenden in Leeuwarden.
His research specialisations include Tourism and Hospitality Economics, Food and Beverage Economics, Transport and Tourism, and Tourism Impact of Alternative Accommodation. He is a member of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE), and the European Association of Wine Economists (EuAWE). Radu has published numerous articles in economic and tourism academic journals and has authored a book on Cost-Benefit Analysis of Charter Airlines.”
Technological University of the Shannon is one of Ireland’s newest universities, formed through the merge of Limerick and Athlone Institute of Technology in 2021. It was recently awarded a 5 Star ranking by the prestigious QS awards. Tourism has been a strong component of the research community and engagement in Athlone and Limerick for many decades.
The university is home to the Tourism Innovation Research Group.
Resource 1 Compendium: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Alternative Accommodation in Europe.
TUS (supported by Meridaunia) is leading the Epic Stays Compendium which involves the organising and delivery of a learning and exchange activity and both online and in-person workshops. They will manage a detailed research exercise engaging industry experts, tourism operators, and educators to understand alignment to challenges, opportunities, emerging trends, skills gaps, and tourist preferences in alternative tourism accommodation across Europe. They will execute a pan-European collection, mapping, and analysis of suggested good practices in ATA. Both activities will be collated, refined, and reported ready to be published across various project channels to ensure stakeholders gain access to these resources.
Dr Tony Johnston is the Director of Research and Development for the Faculty of Business and Hospitality in TUS. His main research interest is in tourism geographies and tourism development, including sustainability, resilience, exposure and tourism and culture. He has presented his research at the Wellcome Collection, the Royal Anthropology Library of the British Museum, and the Prince’s Teaching Institute. He regularly contributes to articles in tourism media, including CNN Travel.
Tony is passionate about the Epic Stays project and has worked on many similar sustainability themes in tourism prior to commencing this project in 2024. Prior to joining TUS, Tony was employed as a Senior Lecturer in Tourism (University of Derby), a Lecturer in Development Geography (King’s College, London), and a Lecturer in Adventure Tourism Management (University of the Highlands and Islands). Tony completed a B.A. (Hons.) in Business with Entrepreneurship at the University of Ulster (2003), an M.Litt. in Geography at the National University of Ireland, Galway (2005), and a Ph.D. in Geography at the National University of Ireland, Galway (2011).
Dr Noëlle O’Connor is a Researcher, Educational Developer, and the Senior University Lecturer (N-TUTORR) at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) (Ireland). Previously, Noëlle was the Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality Management at TUS and the Acting Head of the Department of Languages, Tourism, and Hospitality at the Southeast Technological University.
Noëlle has lectured for many years in other Irish higher education institutes including Technological University Dublin. Noëlle is currently an Online Dissertation Tutor for the University of Bolton (UK) and am a member of the Censorship of Publications Board, Department of Justice, and Equality. In 2022, Noëlle was a shortlisted finalist for the Mid-West Regional Teaching Excellence Awards. Noëlle’s research focuses on travel and tourism management, Education for Sustainable Development, and gender equality within higher education. She has presented research findings at many global conferences and in many referred journals.
Dr. Catriona Murphy PhD, MSc, MA, PGDip, Cert Ed, BSc is currently a lecturer and researcher at the University of the Shannon and previously worked for 12 years in academic management. She has a keen interest in interdisciplinary research with a strong focus on people management, business, food, sustainability, and community development. She has a track record in post graduate examination and supervision ranging from Master’s to PhD’s and continues to work for the public and private sectors in tourism and community planning and development.
Momentum Consulting is a respected for its work on a European level. A leading consultancy firm specialising in strategic planning, project management, education, and capacity building, with a focus on delivering tailored solutions to clients across various sectors. Momentum Consulting excels in driving business growth and sustainable development through high demand consultancy, training, and education. Momentum creates high impact EU education and innovation programs by developing innovative curricula and tertiary educational strategies for many of Ireland’s top HEI and VET bodies (National University Maynooth, Atlantic Technological University, Technical University of the Shannon, Local Enterprise Offices). We work with over 50 leading HEI and VET education partners including UIIN, ACEEU, eucen, FH Münster University of Applied Sciences, University of Bologna, Tallinn University, and the University of Malaga to name a few.
Momentum are firm believers in lifelong learning, education is at the heart of everything we do. Training, mentoring, and online learning are three things we engage in professionally and three things we promote in our work.
Resource 2 Online Curriculum and VET Course: Empowering Education and Bridging Skills Gaps for Sustainable Alternative Accommodation SMEs.
Momentum is supporting NHL in developing the Online Curriculum and VET Course. They are supporting the development, testing, and publication of the VET Curriculum and Online Course. They will be active in ensuring the successful implementation of the Online Curriculum and VET Course objectives, including the design of flexible learning materials and the facilitation of training activities for VET educators and learners. They are involved in developing and contributing to all Epic Stays’s resources, goals, and objectives, ultimately contributing to the project’s overall success in upskilling tourism businesses and promoting sustainable alternative accommodation tourism practices.
Laura Magan is Momentum’s Tourism Specialist. She holds a Master’s degree in International Tourism from Limerick University and a degree in Business & Tourism. Laura brings a wealth of international tourism expertise to Epic Stays, gained from her work in Australia over 10 years with Tourism Events Queensland, Southern Great Barrier Reef, and Darwin International Airport. She is also a regular guest lecturer at Sligo Higher Institute of Technology and previously at the Australian College of Applied Education in Perth. Laura is a valued educator in tourism and destination marketing, particularly skilled at stakeholder engagement, development of multisector partnerships, and event management. She excels in analysing tourism challenges and crafting innovative solutions, which will contribute to ensuring capacity building and empowerment of Epic Stays’s is delivered to stakeholders to drive positive change.
Vocational College for Hospitality and Tourism Maribor, Slovenia is a public 2-year short-cycle college, offering 2 degrees: (1) Hospitality & Tourism and (2) Wellness management. Being located in the second largest town in Slovenia, the college focuses its programme contents on regional diversity: where the Alps meet the Danube basin and thermal waters. Nature, outdoor activities, wine and great cuisine define the region that has supported tourism development in its rural areas. EpicStays is a perfect fit for the school’s activities.
VSGT, with the assistance of HOLAR, will create capacity-building and sustainability resources, including a learning and exchange activity in Slovenia, which will lead to the creation of capacity-building work and resources to ensure the successful integration of Epic Stays results into tourism, VET, and business.
VSGT will oversee the development and implementation of the expert review process, while other partners will contribute by employing staff and associate partners to serve as peer reviewers.
VSGT is in charge of the project’s quality and evaluation, and all partners have provided considerable assistance.
Tatjana Klakočar is a lecturer, professor of physical education, project manager and PhD student in agrarian economics, where her dissertation is researching the Agrowellness model in the connection between tourist farms and wellness tourism.
Her previous work has been on the projects WeSkill, ImDiPeT, ForestWell, where online learning platforms for digital learning in the field of wellness in different environments and tourism destinations have been set up.
Epic Stays is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
