Set to open in 2023, the Portuguese city of Estoril announced opening the first International Tourism Academy certified by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). It will house a training center for the UNWTO, two tourism schools, as well as business incubators, a hotel for internships, and a residence for the accommodation of up to 150 students.
Last week, Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the UNWTO, signed in Estoril the agreement to open the training center in the new academy. The tourism academy will also host two Portuguese operating schools - the Portuguese Tourism School and the ESHTE (Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies) - and will include the Institute for Tourism Studies in Macau, a hotel for internships, and a residence with capacity for 150 students, whose call for tender has been announced already, in addition to a space for the business incubators of the industry.
The project, were several public and private entities come together, will require a EUR 24 million investment, and includes the renovation of the school building and recovery of a 1,500 square meter building for coworking spaces. The project also aims to open a new building for the Center of Excellence in Tourism, and another for the independent facilities of the ESHTE.
“The tourism academy is vital to train human resources in tourism and to establish Portugal as a reference country in tourism training as well,” said Ana Mendes Godinho, Secretary of State for Tourism.
For the president of Tourism of Portugal, Luís Araújo, “…considering the strategic location of the campus, the commitment to training as a great challenge for the industry, the promotion of Portugal as a destination for students, and the positioning of our country as an international hub for the development of new tourism projects, we understand that this is the right time for the International Tourism Academy project to be revitalized.”