Virtual fieldtrips and climate change education for tourism students

While the pedagogical benefits of fieldtrips have long been recognised our ever increasing understanding of the impacts of flying on climate change is presenting educators with a dilemma; the benefits long associated with international fieldtrips are at odds with the world community's needs in limiting/halting climatic change. In response, the paper presents the concept of a Virtual Reality-based virtual fieldtrip as a carbon-sensitive alternative. The paper makes the case for virtual fieldtrips as a meaningful tool for experiential learning and explores both its impact on Greenhouse Gas emissions and climate change-related learning. Not surprisingly, the difference in Greenhouse Gas emissions between a real and virtual fieldtrip is significant while at the same time there is substantial evidence of climate change related learning. More research is required to develop a deeper understanding of the full breadth of benefits, as well as weaknesses presented by virtual fieldtrips.