SusTechTouR
Using Technology to Cultivate Sustainable Tourism Through Community and Classroom Collaboration
Tourism can offer great opportunities for smaller destinations to thrive—economically, culturally, and socially. However, often when a destination becomes popular, climate change, biodiversity loss, and unsustainable travel patterns continue to challenge how destinations can operate. To protect what makes places special, it is essential to manage growth in a balanced, sustainable way that respects local communities, preserves natural and cultural heritage, and adapts to climate and environmental challenges.
Tourism is a complex system that relies on collaboration among various stakeholders—including local communities and businesses—to create meaningful and memorable experiences for visitors. To ensure long-term success, it is essential to prioritise sustainability in every aspect of tourism development. This requires a shift in focus: from serving only the visitor to addressing the needs of the environment and local communities. A destination that embraces sustainable and regenerative tourism becomes, first and foremost, a place of value for its residents, and secondly, a source of authentic and enriching experiences for visitors.
In semester 2 of the 2024/2025 academic year as part of SusTechTouR, a vibrant Students Learning with Communities+ (SLWC+) collaboration, TU Dublin students worked with Chapelizod Old Village Association (COVA), and the Tidy Towns group in Dublin 20. Thirty-five students from Tourism Management (TU747), Tourism and Digital Marketing (TU953) and Languages & International Tourism (TU967) were involved in the project.
Led by TU Dublin’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management lecturers, Dr Catherine Gorman and Jennifer Stewart, initial conversations were explored with community groups based in Chapelizod, on the potential for collaboration and the reciprocal benefits that might emerge from the collaboration.
Listening to the Village
Nestled alongside Dublin City’s Phoenix Park, Chapelizod is a historically rich Dublin suburb with Architectural Conservation Area status. It is also home to COVA, the resident's association representing the people of Chapelizod. Active for over 30 years, COVA plays an important role to support community spirit and cohesion, and enhance the fabric of village life.
As part of their SLWC+ project, and through their integrated assessment for modules in Tourism and Technology, and Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism, students engaged with COVA and Tidy Towns to co-create resources that celebrate and protect local heritage and biodiversity.
The students took part in immersive site visits to the Phoenix Park, guided by biodiversity expert and Phoenix Park Visitor Centre guide, Leif Barry, from the Office of Public Works (OPW). They also attended a Tidy Towns annual general meeting (AGM) and joined a walking tour of Chapelizod led by local historian and Chapelizod Tidy Towns Chair, Peter Kavanagh. A ClimateFresk workshop was also delivered by Jennifer and Catherine, together with TU Dublin Sustainability Education Lead Dr Ken Boyle, and tools like Sulitest supported their learning, alongside reflective practices that helped solidify their understanding of tourism’s wider societal impact.
These experiences provided the students with valuable real-world context for their assessment by grounding their study in the community’s priorities: preserving heritage, promoting biodiversity, and showcasing sustainability. Drawing on these insights, they developed impactful digital tools that reflect and support local values.
Five topics were identified by the local community, and four of these were deemed feasible as the basis for assessment. Working in pairs, the students chose one of the following topics for their integrated assessment.
- A walking audio tour using QR codes focusing on the social and cultural history of Chapelizod
- A walking audio tour using QR codes focusing on the biodiversity and environment of Chapelizod
- Using bike hire at Heuston, a video relating to the biodiversity around Chapelizod (via Phoenix Park and Islandbridge Memorial Park)
- Developing a video of a heritage and literary trail around Chapelizod
The assessments didn’t just end with digital creations; students were encouraged to undertake another visit in their own time to help them develop a ‘multi-media output’, and report with recommendations on using technology for sustainable and regenerative tourism.
Shaping the Future: Measurable Impact from SusTechTouR
The SusTechTouR project sparked immediate community engagement while laying the groundwork for long-term regenerative tourism in Chapelizod. These outcomes and indicators reflect a shared vision in action—where education, innovation, and heritage preservation converge to shape a greener, more connected future. Future indicators and outcomes have been developed by COVA guiding the next stage of the project:
Short-Term Outcomes (1–2 years):
- More visitors visiting the historical aspects of the village and experiencing biodiversity in the village, park and along the river
- QR codes to help people easily access amenities
- Creating increased awareness
Long-term outcomes
- Sustainable transport planning promoting walking, cycling and city bikes in Chapelizod
- ‘Future Chapelizod’ a student vision of what the village will be like in 10 years’ time
- Sustainable, green and proud of its heritage
Short-Term Indicators (1–2 years):
- Residents’ observations of more people in the village
- Website development for information sharing
Long-term Indicators
- City bikes installed
- Permanent QR codes highlighting amenities
Shared benefit
Through this SLWC+ project, students learned to listen, co-create, and lead. Their work not only developed essential skills in digital and sustainable literacy but also contributed real value to the community. Chapelizod, in turn, benefitted from fresh perspectives, innovative tools, and a stronger foundation for welcoming responsible tourism. Students gained hands-on experience in sustainable and regenerative tourism practices, as well as digital and sustainability literacy.
TU Dublin Tourism and Technology Lecturer, Jennifer Stewart, observed ‘Incorporating technology into the assessment played a key role in challenging conventional boundaries and reimagining what tourism can look like in a digitally connected world. From an academic perspective, it was rewarding to witness students not only embrace new and difficult emerging digital tools, but also thoughtfully apply theoretical models related to sustainable and regenerative tourism’.
The students also learned to co-create with communities, and the value of listening to community voices in tourism planning.
BA Tourism Management (TU747/3) student Emma Fanning commented: ‘I really enjoyed working on the assignment because it gave me insight into the importance of community engagement and how sustainable projects can directly benefit local areas and help boost tourism’.
For members of the community groups involved in the project, the multimedia outputs created by the students will help to raise visitor awareness of local culture and ecology, while engagement with students brought fresh ideas and long-term potential for sustainable practices within their organisations.
Collaboration in Action - bridging community, curriculum, and Global Goals
A powerful and mutually beneficial learning experience unfolded—one that bridged local heritage, digital technology, and environmental consciousness. Their project SusTechTouR exemplifies how education, community, and sustainability can co-exist while supporting local tourism to thrive; A project with multi-faceted supports for United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. The project also advances SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth by enhancing local tourism capacity and promoting sustainable job creation; through eco-conscious tourism practices, it encourages SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; it’s emphasis on biodiversity and nature-friendly tourism reflects the targets from SDG 15: Life on Land; and at its core, the collaborative nature of the project reinforces SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals.
Collaboration is at the heart of SusTechTouR —promoting awareness, improving accessibility, and embedding digital literacy alongside a deep understanding of sustainable and regenerative tourism. These efforts are essential for addressing broader societal challenges and fostering resilient communities.
The collaboration supports all four EU GreenComp areas by fostering sustainability values developing systems thinking and complexity awareness, encouraging student action and innovation in real contexts and promoting critical reflection and lifelong learning.