<![CDATA[Educational tourism (Edu-tourism) offers opportunities to enhance English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning by connecting language instruction with authentic cultural experiences. However, the integration of cultural heritage and local wisdom into English for Tourism (EFT) courses remains underexplored, particularly in the Indonesian higher education context. This study investigates how cultural heritage and local wisdom can be integrated into an English for Tourism course through an edu-tourism framework and how such integration influences students’ engagement, language learning, and cultural awareness. Using a qualitative case study design, the research involved 15 fifth-semester EFL students and three lecturers from an English Education Department at a state university in Central Java, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom and field-based observations, and document analysis, and were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that integrating cultural heritage and local wisdom into EFT through contextualized lesson plans, experiential learning, and collaborative Edu-tourism projects enhanced students’ engagement, cultural awareness, confidence in using English, and appreciation of local culture. Field-based activities provided authentic opportunities for language use, while collaborative projects fostered critical thinking and creativity. Nevertheless, the implementation encountered several challenges, including limited resources, insufficient culturally integrated teaching materials, students’ initial hesitation during field activities, and time constraints within the academic schedule. These findings suggest that integrating Edu-tourism with cultural heritage and local wisdom provides an effective contextualized approach to English for Tourism instruction while simultaneously promoting cultural preservation and sustainable tourism education. The study also highlights the need for greater institutional support and curriculum development to facilitate the wider implementation of culturally responsive EFL learning.]]>
