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WeNaTour launches two new learning pathways for sustainable tourism

ResearchTourism and Leisure ManagementSustainability
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Practice-oriented training for students and professionals aiming to shape future-ready and regenerative destinations

WeNaTour, a European initiative funded by the Erasmus+ programme, has announced the launch of its 2026 training offer. With two distinct online learning pathways, the project responds to the evolving needs of the sustainable tourism sector. The courses are free of charge and designed to equip both students and professionals with practical skills to support destinations and businesses in transitioning towards more resilient, inclusive and nature-based tourism models.
As a project partner, IMC Krems (IMC University of Applied Sciences) played a key role in developing the programmes and contributes its tourism research expertise to the international consortium.

The 2026 offer includes two online courses focusing on nature-based tourism, health and wellbeing: a 150-hour course with academic recognition and a modular microcredential course.

 

The Erasmus+ project WeNaTour will launch two new online learning pathways for sustainable tourism in 2026. IMC Krems (IMC University of Applied Sciences) played a key role in developing the courses as a project partner.

Academic MOOC worth 6 ECTS credits

The WeNaTour E-Learning Course for Sustainable Tourism: Welfare, Nature and Innovation in Tourism (II Edition) is a comprehensive Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) designed for participants seeking a solid academic pathway in sustainable tourism.
With a total workload of 150 hours, the course combines theoretical foundations with applied content. It is aimed at tourism professionals wishing to strengthen their academic profile as well as students of tourism and related fields. Participants who successfully complete the course receive a certificate equivalent to 6 ECTS credits.
Registration and the course itself opened on 1 February 2026, and participants can still join at any time.

Flexible microcredential course for specialised skills

The WeNaTour Microcredential Course for Sustainable Tourism: Nature-based Tourism for Wellness and Health offers a flexible learning pathway for professionals seeking specialised expertise in nature-based tourism, health and wellbeing.
Developed in collaboration with partners from the vocational education and training sector, the programme comprises 92 hours of instruction, divided into four independent modules that can be taken separately. It is aimed at specialised tourism professionals, newcomers to sustainable tourism and lifelong learners seeking targeted professional development.
The full microcredential course corresponds to 5 ECTS credits, with each module leading to a recognised microcredential. The course will start in spring 2026, and pre-registration is already open.

International reach and EU mobility

The first edition of the WeNaTour online course attracted more than 400 participants from across Europe and beyond. Among them, 16 selected learners from Colombia, Türkiye, Norway, Georgia, Romania, Spain, Germany, Austria and Italy completed an advanced four-week specialisation programme.
This included a two-week EU-funded mobility experience between Italy and Austria, hosted by local project partners.

About the WeNaTour project

The WeNaTour – Welfare, Nature and Innovation in Tourism project is coordinated by University of Padua and implemented by a consortium of 12 partners across five European countries.
The initiative was created in response to the emerging challenges of contemporary tourism – from climate change and overtourism to the integration of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles and wellbeing into tourism strategies. At the heart of the project is the development of a new professional profile: the Sustainability Manager for tourism destinations, capable of combining management skills, sustainability expertise, community engagement and innovation in order to support destinations in transitioning towards regenerative tourism models.

As a project partner, the tourism team at IMC Krems (IMC University of Applied Sciences) plays a leading role in developing the online courses. Alongside the strong international participation, Claudia Bauer Krösbacher, Markus Eitle and Alice Wanner are particularly pleased to see a significant number of participants from across Austria.

Further information, as well as registration and pre-registration options, is available at: www.wenatour.eu/learn.

 

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