In recent years, the European tourism sector has been facing a series of complex and interrelated challenges – from the global pandemic to the climate crisis, geopolitical instability, the energy emergency and inflation. These factors have been accompanied by profound changes in work patterns, mobility, and leisure, which are structurally reshaping the context in which tourism destinations operate.
Within this context, the Etifor team contributed as co-authors to the article “New challenges call for new skills: providing quality education for sustainable destination managers with the WeNaTour project”, presented at the GSTC Academic Symposium 2024. The article outlines the key challenges that tourism education systems must address in order to support the transition towards a more sustainable tourism model, using the WeNaTour project as a case study.
WeNaTour is a European project co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme, aimed at strengthening sustainable tourism education and supporting the transition of the sector towards more resilient and inclusive models. The project promotes sustainable destination management through multidisciplinary training pathways, integrating digital tools, innovation, and the international criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) certification.
WeNaTour seeks to bridge the gap between academia and the labour market, helping to train a new generation of professionals capable of leading tourism transformation.
By adopting a systemic approach, the project connects applied research, educational institutions and tourism operators, generating transformative impacts and contributing to a renewed vision of European tourism based on sustainability, wellbeing, and the enhancement of natural and cultural capital.
Read the article to find out more.
Publication details
Title: New challenges call for new skills: providing quality education for sustainable destination managers with the WeNaTour project
Authors: Doimo Ilaria, Catte Martina, Bosco Federica, Fiorentino Alessia – Etifor | Valuing Nature; Orio Nicola – University of Padua; Posch Arthur – IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems; Dominik Mühlberger – Austrian Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests; Shane O’Sullivan – Technological University of the Shannon; Zametter Thomas Friedrich – Carinthia University of Applied Sciences
Date of publication: April 2024
Conference: Presented at the GSTC Academic Symposium, during the GSTC Global Conference in Sweden
Download the full article: New challenges call for new skills (PDF)