By DAISY SAMPSON
daisy.sampson@the-resident.com
INTERNATIONAL WORLD Tourism day was celebrated in the Algarve with the creation of a hospitality management institute (HMI) and the signing of a new tourism protocol.
Entitled Tourism 2015, the protocol is the result of collaboration between Turismo de Portugal, the Portuguese confederation of tourism (CTP), the regional tourism promotion agency (ARPT) and the newly created hospitality management institute (HMI).
The protocol is based on three areas of action, firstly the stimulation of competitiveness focused on incentives for innovation and the development of tourism; secondly the development of selective tourism and thirdly the strengthening of Destination Portugal as a global brand.
Procedures for claiming incentives have been simplified and the types of projects that will be eligible for funding have also been altered to allow for more businesses to benefit from the scheme, hopefully allowing improvements to be made in the tourism sector.
What’s next?
The HMI was formally introduced to the public on Saturday at a conference entitled Tourism: What’s next? at the Pavilhão do Arade in Portimão.
It is hoped that the HMI will encourage students from across the globe to come and study advanced techniques and courses related to the tourism sector and will be using links with Turismo de Portugal, the hotel and tourism school of Estoril (ESHTE), the institute of science and employment (ISCTE), the University of the Algarve and an international partnership with Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Florida.
Further links with international schools are anticipated in the future with the primary objective of the institute being the creation of a global centre of excellence in tourism training in Portugal.
The first initiative of the HMI will be to create two centres for research and advanced training in tourism, to be known as CIFAT’s. The centres will be placed in Estoril and in Portimão and it is hoped that they will be able to work together to some degree with exchanges of teachers, joint research projects and shared resources.
HMI is regarded as one of the priority policies in the national strategic plan for tourism (PENT), to ensure appropriate levels of training are available to allow for development in the tourism sector.
Dedication
There are already 16 schools dedicated training students in the subjects of hotels and tourism in Portugal and this latest initiative has shown the level of dedication of the government in providing human resources to allow the tourism sector.
Meanwhile, tourism leaders in Portugal were acknowledged at a ceremony held at the Vilamoura Casino also on International World Tourism Day.
Winners on the evening included stylist Fátima Lopes for promoting Portugal through fashion, Nelson Évora and Vanessa Fernandes for their success at the Beijing Olympics and the Câmara presidents of Guimarães and Óbidos for their work in promoting national tourism.
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