The Greek participation in the European program PANTOUR (Pact for Next Tourism Generation Skills), which will be completed in 2026, gives a new dimension to the way in which tourism and hospitality deal with human capital. The program is implemented in our country through the Innovative Tourism Entrepreneurship and Human Resources Development Laboratory (iTED Lab) of the Department of Tourism Economics and Management of the University of the Aegean, headed by Professor Theodoros Stavrinoudis.
Mr. Stavrinoudis points out to Tornos News that strengthening equality, diversity and inclusion skills is now a strategic priority for tourism and continues by saying that “if we do not invest in the development of skills and the well-being of people working in the sector, we cannot talk about a quality tourism product”.
Greece’s participation in PANTOUR strengthens the effort to create a fairer and more inclusive work environment, where all professionals have equal opportunities for development. The professor notes that “the tourism experience is not limited to the product or service, but is reflected in the people who offer it and the values ??they transmit”.
PANTOUR provides small and medium-sized tourism businesses with practical tools and training manuals for the integration of equality and diversity policies. iTED Lab is actively involved in the transfer of know-how, recording and disseminating 31 best European practices in 10 EU countries, including Greece.
Stavrinoudis also underlines the need to integrate inclusion into tourism training programs, emphasizing that the next generation of professionals must be trained in the values ??of equality and respect. “We need to support people with disabilities, eliminate obstacles that limit women’s professional development and cultivate intercultural understanding at every level,” he says.
In closing, the professor from the University of the Aegean emphasizes that the new era of Greek tourism must be based on a human development model. “Equality and inclusion are not a theory, but a foundation for a tourism that respects and highlights people.”
