Introduction

In the context of Industry 4.0 development and the growing importance of digital tools in education, podcasts have emerged as an effective solution for fostering learners' self-directed learning capabilities. This is particularly urgent for tourism students, who must adapt to digital transformation across industries and intense competition among tourism businesses and platforms. For these students, enhancing their ability to research tourism resources, present destinations, and adapt to digital tourism trends has become increasingly essential.

The application of podcasts in tourism education has been explored globally since their inception as a higher education tool. Researchers have demonstrated their effectiveness in promoting learner autonomy (Enríquez, Cutuli, & Cáceres, 2023). Ibrahim further affirms that when properly implemented, podcasts serve as a creative pedagogical resource that enhances both professional competence and learning processes (Ibrahim, 2022). Chang, Jang, and Chiu (2012) examined podcasts' influence on consumer behavior in digital tourism, revealing their significant impact on travel decision-making through social media. More recently, Hutabarat et al. (2023) demonstrated how podcast storytelling could market Indonesian tourism globally.

In Vietnam, while podcasts are popular for social and personal communication, their adoption in higher education — particularly for tourism students — remains limited. This study aims to evaluate podcasts' effectiveness in enhancing destination presentation skills among Tour Guide and Tourism Service Management students at Khanh Hoa University. It addresses two research questions: (1) How do podcasts influence students' tourism presentation skills? (2) How can podcasts be effectively implemented to improve professional practice skills in tourism education?

2. Theoretical Basis and Research Methods

2.1. Podcasts: their role in information delivery and student skill development

Podcasts originated from radio broadcasting and have evolved into a popular personal medium. With the advancement of Industry 4.0 technologies, digital media applications have transformed podcasts into personalized, automated platforms for information storage and dissemination (Rime, Pike, & Collins, 2022). Spinelli and Dann (2019) highlight podcasting's unique advantages in terms of temporal flexibility, spatial convenience, and diverse usage formats, offering distinctive experiences in both entertainment and education.

As "information ambassadors", podcasts provide rich educational resources through first-hand travel experiences and trekking narratives, community cultural documentation, and unique local insights shared by residents. These resources foster critical thinking as listeners evaluate content credibility. For tourism students — especially future guides — this process enhances information-sharing awareness and creative destination presentation skills, while developing crucial professional competencies including information selection and digital literacy, professional communication and teamwork, and technological proficiency.

2.2. Theoretical framework of tour explanation

The tourism industry encompasses four primary areas: travel services, tourist transportation, tourist accommodation, and other tourism-related services (National Assembly, 2017). Travel services occupy a central role, with key functions such as tour design, tour operation, and tour guiding. Tour explanation, as a professional skill of the tour guide, involves the use of spoken language and body language to effectively communicate information about tourist attractions and routes. Beyond informational roles, tourist guides also aim to promote the value of the tourism resources and services of the destination, thereby fostering a connection between destinations and tourists. Consequently, tour explanation plays a vital role in destination promotion.

2.3. Research method

This study adopts a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected through structured surveys, while qualitative insights were obtained via semi-structured interviews with industry experts. The research population comprised students enrolled in two academic programs at Khanh Hoa University: Tourism and Travel Services Management, and Vietnam Studies with a focus on Tour Guiding. A total of 109 students from the 6th and 7th cohorts were purposively sampled (third-year students: 61.5%, n=67; fourth-year students: 38.5%, n=42). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six industry professionals — three faculty members specializing in tour guiding education and three professionals from travel agencies based in Nha Trang.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Perceptions of experts and students

According to in-depth interviews, 100% of experts are familiar with podcasts and recognize their effectiveness in promoting tourism destinations. Lecturers at Khanh Hoa University believe that applying podcasts to the teaching process — specifically to enhance students' capacity and skills in explaining destinations — can be an effective educational method that encourages active, positive, and creative learning.

Among students, 48.6% had heard of travel podcasts; 64% believe that podcasts can help enhance their specialized knowledge; and up to 39.4% are willing to create their own travel-related podcasts if provided with the necessary conditions. Moreover, 61.4% of students believe podcasts are an effective tool for introducing tourist destinations, and 74% believe podcasts can be effective tools for learning about new travel destinations. 86.2% indicated that the optimal duration of a destination podcast should be less than 20 minutes, and 60.6% affirmed that enhancing the emotional expressiveness of the host is necessary to attract listeners.

3.2. Challenges in implementing podcasts in teaching

First, equipment: as a provincial university, Khanh Hoa University faces constraints in funding and professional audio recording facilities; many students lack access to high-quality microphones and recording studios. Second, popularity: the rapid growth of social platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube poses challenges, as young people prefer short videos and live streams over audio podcasts (43.1% of students lack sufficient time to listen; 26.6% find travel podcasts difficult to locate). Third, language and platform: 71.6% of students prefer to listen in Vietnamese, which complicates access for international tourists, requiring appropriate language formatting and suitable broadcasting channels.

4. Conclusion

Podcasts are among active teaching tools that not only support instructors in delivering educational content but also enhance the learning process by providing engaging materials, stimulating creativity, and fostering students' individual learning capacities. They help students improve their presentation skills — particularly vocal delivery — while developing skills in information synthesis and tourism destination promotion. A key advantage of podcasts is their flexibility: users can listen multiple times, allowing deeper engagement with the material. The strengths of podcasts in both teaching and learning present opportunities and challenges, encouraging students to become confident and creative in self-directed learning and supporting lifelong learning goals.

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