Introducing BIAD at Career Day 2026 — Department of Tourism, Ionian University

On April 1st, 2026, the Department of Tourism of Ιόνιο Πανεπιστήμιο - Ionian University successfully held its first-ever in Corfu — bringing together students, graduates, tourism businesses, and local authorities in a shared space for connection, dialogue, and opportunity.

During the event, the Head of the Department, Professor Christina Beneki, presented the Department to representatives of local government and the tourism industry, offering an overview of students' knowledge and competencies, the interdisciplinary character of the programme offered, aligned with contemporary international trends, and the Department's academic and research profile. As part of this presentation, the BIAD - Bridging Innovation & Digital Skills 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 was introduced as an example of the Department's research activity and its commitment to bridging academia and industry.

BIAD (Building Intelligence through AI & Data) is an Erasmus+ Alliance for Education and Enterprises (EDU-2025-PI-ALL-INNO), a transnational 3-year initiative (2025-2028) coordinated by Professor Luca Reitano (Forma Camera, Rome, Italy) and uniting 14 partners across 6 countries, including HEIs, VET providers, SMEs, Chambers of Commerce, and public stakeholders, working to bridge the skills gap in tourism and hospitality through AI literacy, data-driven decision-making, and sustainability-oriented learning pathways.

Career Day was a natural setting to introduce BIAD, bringing together the university, industry representatives, and public authorities as key actors in the skills ecosystem the project seeks to strengthen.