02 September 2026

"Digitalization and Society" Micro-Credential Program Launched in the Department of Tourism Guidance

The "Module 6 – Digitalization and Society" micro-credential program has been implemented within the Department of Tourism Guidance at Istanbul Gelişim University's Faculty of Economics, Administrative, and Social Sciences. The program aims to equip students with next-generation digital competencies by integrating cultural heritage interpretation with virtual museology, augmented reality, smart business operations, and global tourism analytics.

Within the scope of the micro-credential framework, four core elective courses from the departmental curriculum have been designated:

  • TUR328 – Digitalization in Tourism: Covers the concepts of Tourism 4.0, artificial intelligence applications, virtual reality (VR) technologies, and digital marketing processes.
  • TUR334 – Digital Transformation in Tourism Management: Focuses on digital operations, online distribution channels, and digital customer relationship management (CRM) across travel, hospitality, food & beverage, and transportation businesses.
  • TUR335 – Digital Museology and Visitor Experience: Addresses next-generation visitor experience design through virtual museums, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) implementations, and interactive content.
  • TUR429 – Global Tourism Movements in the Digital Age: Examines the digital platform economy, changing behaviors of digital tourists, socio-demographic shifts, and competitiveness analysis within the international tourism market.
Competency and Career Outcomes for Students

Students who complete the program will acquire the skills to integrate Tourism 4.0 tools into guiding services, design digital visitor experiences for museums and archaeological sites, manage the digital operations of tourism businesses, and evaluate global travel data. Through the micro-credential certificate, the initiative aims to enhance the employability of graduates not only in traditional field guiding but also in emerging roles such as virtual tour coordination, digital museology consulting, and the management of online tourism platforms.

The program is coordinated by Head of the Department Asst. Prof. Öznur Çetinkaya, and detailed course descriptions alongside curriculum requirements are published under the "Micro-Credentials" information package in the "Student" tab on the departmental web page.