The Government has announced that the requalification of the Turismo de Portugal school network will involve an investment of 30 million euros, aligning Portuguese education with best international practices.

“This major project worth 30 million euros for the requalification and modernisation of schools, for the reconfiguration of learning methods and alignment with best national practices, can make the country a reference”, said António Costa Silva, who was speaking in Lisbon, at the presentation of the Transformation and Modernisation Plan for the Portuguese Tourism Schools Network, which will cover 12 institutions.

In the closing session, Costa Silva defended being one of the people who believes that tourism is “the engine of the Portuguese economy”, highlighting the national and international recognition that the sector has received. For the governor, taking into account that Portugal is already one of the best tourist destinations, it should also have this prominence when it comes to education.

“If we have an industry with this important behavior for the country's economy, we have to be a reference and rethink tourism, as well as align it with trends in international markets”, he highlighted. The minister also recalled that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed people's perception of tourism, who are now expressing their desire to travel.

“We want to increase the qualifications of people working in tourism […] and promote schools as major platforms. All we have in front of us are fascinating challenges. We need to innovate in terms of learning to attract more and more young people”, she highlighted. In a statement, the Ministry of Economy and the Sea detailed that the plan will include the requalification of 12 schools by December 2026, with the aim of increasing the qualifications and income of professionals in the sector.

The measures include 20 million euros for the sustainable management of available resources and four million for the use of technology in all areas of student learning, to which is added 2.5 million “for the creation of new innovative and dynamic, more flexible and adapted to new teaching formats”, reads the statement.

The creation of a new enogastronomic center in Lamego and a chocolate academy in Óbidos will represent an investment of 3.5 million.