According to the European Commission, smart tourism “responds to new challenges and demands in a fast-changing sector, including the evolution of digital tools, products and services, equal opportunity and access for all visitors, sustainable local area development, and support to creative industries, local talent and heritage”.
The main objectives of the SMARTOUR project are to:
Create a training course for VET students and workers in the tourism sector based on the latest trends and needs of the tourism sector.
To provide easy tools that can be adopted and adapted by small destinations and small operators and entrepreneurs.
Enhance the employability of VET students and workers in the management of tourism sector.
SMARTOUR project is considered a Continuing VET (C-VET) proposal. C-VET takes place after initial education and training or after beginning working life. It aims to upgrade knowledge, help citizens acquire new skills, and retrain and further personal and professional development. The Europe 2020 strategy emphasizes smart, sustainable and inclusive growth to overcome the structural weaknesses in Europe’s economy, improve its competitiveness and productivity and underpin a sustainable social market economy. One of the project’s objectives is to increase the capacity of trainers to provide training in sustainability concepts and the project will offer them innovative materials in digital means that can be used and adapted to provide training in sustainable tourism to VET students from these management areas.
This would be done by promoting innovative practices through e-learning courses and enabling VET students to update and acquire new skills and knowledge useful for their everyday work.
