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Recap and downloads PANTOUR Brussels Conference: From Skills Intelligence to action for Europe’s Tourism Workforce

On 24 February 2026, we hosted the final PANTOUR conference at ETOA’s Brussels headquarters, bringing together industry leaders, educators, policy makers and sector associations to reflect on four years of research, innovation and collaboration. The event marked not only the culmination of an EU-funded project, but the presentation of a practical framework to address Europe’s tourism skills needs over the next decade.READ MORE

Webinar Tourism & Hospitality Training: Bridging Skills Gaps and Industry Needs | 16 April 2026

Training today is no longer about transferring knowledge. It’s about equipping people who can navigate change, make decisions in uncertainty, and turn sustainability and digitalisation into real action. On 16 April 2026, PANTOUR is organising a full-hour webinar around ”Tourism & Hospitality Training: Bridging Skills Gaps and Industry Needs”. This webinar is not about understanding theory, it is about what you can actually apply tomorrow in your work. Because lifelong learning is no longer just a concept, it is becoming a necessity. The tourism sector does not need more content. It needs better training. Training that sticks, that translates into action, and that prepares people for what’s next.READ MORE

From Dilemma to Synergy: The Future of Skills in Greek Tourism & Hospitality

On Friday, February 27th, the iTED Research Lab of the Department of Tourism Economics and Management of the University of the Aegean, within the framework of the 2nd INTOCUS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, organized the National PANTOUR Conference 2026, a pivotal event bringing together representatives from the industry, the government, and the academic community. The main goal of the event was to explore the contemporary challenges and future needs regarding skills in the broader tourism ecosystem, with a special focus on the Greek context. This blog includes key insights and conclusions from the Greek National PANTOUR Conference

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PANTOUR Final Conference 2026 functioned as a launchpad on 24 February in Brussels

Four years of skills development. Building upon another four years of research and outputs. Real momentum.

This week in Brussels, at the headquarters of ETOA – European tourism association, we organised the final conference of PANTOUR 2026.

Right in the heart of Europe’s tourism ecosystem, we brought together the sharpest insights, strongest outputs, and most honest reflections from four years of collaboration focused on the future of skills in tourism and hospitality.

This was not a “wrap-up.” It was a launchpad.

Each presentation and speaker brought a different lens. Together they brought a shared European perspective on how we future-proof talent in our sector, supporting the twin-transition. With contributions from:

Ana Maria Camps (CEHAT)
Corné Dijkmans (Breda University of Applied Sciences)
Fernanda Rabelo (TU Dublin)
Klaus Ehrlich (RURALTOUR)
Altti Näsi (SAMK)
Silvia Enea (Federturismo Confindustria)

 

The mix of curiosity and commitment that was experienced during this final conference is exactly what will shape the next chapter of tourism and hospitality in Europe. When people lean in, challenge each other, and build on ideas together, progress follows.

With the energy masterfully steered by our host and moderator Tim Fairhurst, we explored and discussed skills development from every possible angle; managing, monitoring, strategising, assessing, implementing, together with the participants we moved into another connected ambition.

PANTOUR has never just been a project. I has been a collaboration since 2018, built together with: Satakunta University of Applied Sciences – SAMK, Technological University Dublin, CEHAT – Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations, Federturismo Confindustria, Gestlabor, University of the Aegean, ETOA – European tourism association, Hungarian Hospitality Employers’ Association (VIMOSZ), Zangador Research Institute, Breda University of Applied Sciences, European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training (EVBB), Turismo de Portugal and RURALTOUR, and an extensive network of associate and affiliate partners, industry stakeholders and professionals who believe that skills are the foundation of a resilient, competitive, and forward-looking industry.

The full recap is coming soon.

For now: a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed, questioned, debated, and imagined what is next. The journey may be concluding, but the impact is only beginning. Stay tuned.

Thanks to Arran Wiltshire, Rachel Read, Laurence Lagier for hosting and facilitating us!

How to work on skills and capacity building from a national perspective: a best practice from Portugal

National and Regional Skills Partnerships (NRSPs) are collaborative platforms designed to bring together the full tourism ecosystem, education providers, industry representatives, public authorities and social partners around a shared mission: aligning skills development with the real and evolving needs of the sector. Emerging from the work of the Next Tourism Generation Alliance and strengthened through the European Commission’s Pact for Skills in tourism, NRSPs have become a practical mechanism to translate European ambition into national and regional action. Through projects such as PANTOUR, they build continuity, reuse proven methodologies, and foster structured cooperation between stakeholders who shape the future of tourism skills.READ MORE

Piloting of the Sustainable Resources Management programme at Technological University Dublin

The Sustainable Resources Management programme, created under the PANTOUR research project, was piloted at Technological University Dublin on November 13th. The one-hour session took place at Ballymaguire Restaurant in the Central Quad campus, as part of the induction for 1st year students in the Bakery programme of the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology. With a total of 28 student participants, the workshop was led by lecturers Sheona Foley and Shannon Dickson with the participation of the researchers Fernanda Rabelo and Fernanda Vergara, and support from the project investigator in Ireland and Head of School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, Denise O’Leary.READ MORE

PANTOUR International Conference 2026 in Brussels | 24 February 2026

On 24 February 2026 the Pact for Next Tourism Generation Skills (PANTOUR) consortium will organise the second international conference in Brussels. The international conference will be an opportunity to take stock of recent project deliverables, outputs and insights of skills development in tourism in Europe and to exchange on priorities and next steps in light of Europe’s digital and sustainable twin transition and skills initiatives. The event will take place at the Rue du Marché aux Herbes 61, in Bruxelles in collaboration with ETOA.

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EDI as a key factor for building the future of tourism: Takeaways from the national Pantour Conference in Portugal

On 16 October 2025, the Porto School of Hospitality and Tourism hosted the National PANTOUR Conference 2025, an event that brought together professionals, educators, policymakers and students to explore one of the most transformative priorities for the sector’s future: Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Guided by the theme “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Tourism Sector” the conference created a dynamic forum for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collective action. Participants reflected on the role of EDI in strengthening the resilience, innovation capacity and social responsibility of tourism and hospitality organizations. The highlight of the event was the presentation of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Handbook of Best Practices, developed within the European project PANTOUR – Pact for Next Tourism Generation Skills. This handbook offers practical tools, a structured change-management methodology, and 31 real case studies from European tourism and hospitality organizations, providing SMEs with a concrete, implementable roadmap for strengthening inclusion in their workforce and operations.

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