Journal of Tourism & Hospitality
Open Access

Abstract

A New Challenge for Digital Age Tourism: Across the Border Learning and Education (Project ABLE)

Joyce Pittman

The Across-the-border learning and education (ABLE) is a new concept to support diverse learners by describing and innovating a commonly accepted ideology of inclusive and equitable education. Unfortunately, emerging business education policies, failed school integration and a deficiency in attention to needs of diverse learners in schooling in society continues to leave more high potential learners on the outside rather than the inside of new global opportunities and online communities for learning in new learning environments in digital settings and traditional classrooms. Such a state or condition renders a new opportunity for educational tourism. Access to learning opportunities and content for the gifted, talented with special learning needs now command our attention in all disciplines. This need presents an urgent call for new ways to include all learners in new global educational systems who come from selected homes, schools, and communities worldwide and especially people who communicate in the least commonly taught languages (LCTL). In this editorial, I call attention to this problem and propose potential solutions to advance thinking and action for support to address this issue in. The call is to educational leaders, policy makers and world citizens to use global education, tourism and virtual learning as ways to create and innovate new solutions for including all people in the digital age of lifelong learning.