Category: Articles

For two decades, the tourism industry has worked hard to become more sustainable. Hotels replaced plastic straws with paper ones. Airlines launched carbon offset programmes. Destinations created eco- labels and green certification schemes. And tourism professionals across Europe began talking about responsibility, footprint and impact.

These were important steps. But they were not enough. Because sustainability, at its core, is still a logic of damage limitation. It asks us to take less, consume more carefully, and leave a smaller mark. It operates within an extractive system and tries to make that system slightly less harmful. And while the industry was busy reducing its footprint, the coral reefs kept bleaching, the historic city centres kept emptying of residents, and the communities hosting millions of visitors every year kept asking the same question: what do we actually get from this?

Regenerative tourism starts from a fundamentally different premise. It does not ask how we reduce our impact — it asks how we actively improve the places we visit. It does not settle for leaving destinations as we found them. It demands that we leave them better.

Tourism is changing – and so are the skills needed to work within it.

The transition towards regenerative tourism is not only about adopting greener practices. It requires tourism professionals to rethink how destinations are managed, how communities are involved, how resources are used and how value is created and shared.

The training needs analysis carried out within SEEDS & SKILLS shows that stakeholders across Europe are ready to move beyond general sustainability awareness. What they increasingly need are practical competences that can be applied in everyday tourism activities.

Understanding sustainability is important, but knowledge alone does not transform destinations.

Tourism professionals need the ability to translate regenerative principles into concrete decisions: designing experiences that contribute to nature restoration, working together with local communities, using digital tools to monitor resources and creating tourism products that generate benefits for both visitors and residents.

This is why the skills identified by SEEDS & SKILLS focus strongly on implementation.

Three areas identified within SEEDS & SKILLS are particularly important:

Tourism is changing, and so are the people who work in it. Across Europe, destinations are facing environmental pressure, changing visitor expectations, workforce shortages, and the need to become more resilient.

For many years, tourism work has been mainly linked to service delivery, welcoming visitors, managing bookings, guiding tours, or offering hospitality experiences. These skills remain important, but the future of tourism requires a broader role.

Regenerative tourism asks workers to see destinations as living systems, shaped by people, culture, nature, local businesses, and visitors. This means understanding how each tourism decision can affect the place where it happens.

Tomorrow’s tourism workers will need practical skills that help them put regenerative tourism into practice. These skills can shape the way they design visitor experiences, use digital tools to manage resources, and work with local communities so that tourism benefits are shared more fairly.

• A hotel manager may rethink suppliers, waste, energy, and water use.
• A guide may help visitors connect with local stories in a respectful way.
• A destination manager may involve residents more actively in tourism planning.
• An educator may prepare learners for new responsibilities within existing jobs.

This is why SEEDS & SKILLS focuses on the competences needed for a changing tourism sector. Through research, cooperation, and training development, the project supports the shift towards more regenerative, place-based tourism.

The tourism workers of tomorrow will not only provide services. They will help create experiences that respect local identity, reduce pressure on places, support communities, and encourage visitors to travel with more awareness.

Because they will not simply work in destinations. They will help shape, protect, and strengthen them.

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE). Neither the European Union nor FRSE can be held responsible for them.

The SEEDS & SKILLS project was launched to help the European tourism sector transition from extractive practices to regenerative tourism—a model where travel actively heals ecosystems, empowers local communities, and distributes wealth fairly.

To determine which tools the workforce needs to make this leap, our consortium conducted a comprehensive training needs analysis. We surveyed learners, trainers, VET providers, and SME representatives across five partner countries: Austria, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Spain.

The analysis revealed two key insights:

• While the industry understands environmental sustainability, it lacks the frameworks required to measure and manage the socio-economic impacts of tourism on host communities.
• When evaluating the need for “Future Skills,” data highlights a shift in the workforce. Stakeholders are ready to move beyond theory and are demanding practical, implementation-focused training.

While foundational concepts like Regenerative Tourism Development were valued, the highest priorities were actionable skills:

• Regenerative experience design: The ability to design tourism products and services that include hands-on conservation and nature restoration.
• Digital skills & technology integration: The capacity to use digital apps, and software to track and mange resource consumption.
• Community-Centric co-creation: The skills to collaborate with local farmers, artisans, and residents to create joint tourism packages that share profits fairly.

As a next step, partners are translating these needs into a targeted curriculum that equips tourism workforce with the tools needed to ensure that travel no longer just extracts value from destinations, but actively heals them.

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE). Neither the European Union nor FRSE can be held responsible for them.

What is a common training framework?

A common tourism training framework is a shared structure that goes beyond individual curricula by not only aligning learning outcomes but also actively embedding real-world skills and place-based knowledge into vocational education. It connects VET providers, tourism businesses and local communities, supports workforce adaptability and economic resilience.

More than “harmonising qualifications”

A common framework is not simply a rebranding of existing national curricula. While traditional VET approaches focus on delivering certified outputs (“tick the box”), a common framework aims to create genuine impact (“equip people to transform places”). It moves beyond standardising paperwork toward actively building the capacity of tourism professionals to respond to ecological, social and economic challenges through locally rooted, regionally connected approaches.

Why do we need it?

The gaps in European tourism training are increasingly visible: fragmented curricula, mismatched skills, workforce shortages and growing disconnection from sustainability priorities. At the same time, the industry must respond to shifting traveller expectations and develop new green competencies. A common framework addresses these challenges by turning training into a driver of workforce quality, destination resilience and long-term industry renewal.

Achieving this requires new pedagogical models, cross-border collaboration and a shift in mindset among educators and employers alike. Success is no longer measured by the number of certificates issued but by the tangible improvement in skills, destinations and the communities that depend on tourism.

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE). Neither the European Union nor FRSE can be held responsible for them.

FRAME – Poland (Project Coordinator)

Based in Łódź, FRAME leads the partnership. A foundation with deep experience in VET curriculum design, digital learning, and community-centred projects, FRAME is well-placed to coordinate an initiative that sits at the intersection of sustainability, education, and social innovation.

FETICO – Spain

Spain’s Confederation of Independent Trade Unions brings decades of experience identifying skills gaps and supporting workers — particularly those furthest from the labour market — to reskill and find employment. Their voice ensures SEEDS & SKILLS stays grounded in the real needs of workers.

University of Applied Sciences Burgenland – Austria

With a strong research focus on sustainable business and circular economy, FH Burgenland brings academic rigour to the partnership — critical for developing a competence framework that is evidence-based as well as practically useful.

IPPO Engineering – Italy

IPPO specialises in digital technology and e-learning development. IPPO’s expertise in building interactive learning tools will be central to delivering the digital learning modules at the heart of SEEDS & SKILLS.

Training 2000 – Italy

With over 30 years in VET and sustainable tourism, Training 2000 brings unmatched practical knowledge of what tourism workers actually need — and strong ties to the local operators and communities who need it most.

Mathemagenesis – Greece

This Thessaloniki-based eLearning specialist brings expertise in instructional design, gamification, and immersive learning technologies — ensuring the digital outputs of SEEDS & SKILLS are not just informative, but genuinely engaging.

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE). Neither the European Union nor FRSE can be held responsible for them.