Listening to the Industry: BIAD's Stakeholder Workshops Across Europe

28 workshops. 554 participants. Five countries. One shared picture of a sector in transition.

BIAD, an Erasmus+ project, has completed its stakeholder workshops in Italy, Spain, Türkiye, France and Greece. In total, the partners held 28 workshops and focus groups with 554 participants from the tourism and hospitality sector.

The workshops are part of Work Package 2 (WP2), which builds BIAD's evidence base. Participants identified the market trends shaping the sector and ranked the skills they need in BIAD's three areas: digital, green and resilience competences.

The results were very similar across all five countries. Participants everywhere raised the same seven trends:

• AI and automation

• Data, platforms and online reputation

• Sustainability

• Experiential tourism

• Changing guest expectations

• Labour shortages

• Seasonality and climate risk

  
  

Digital skills came out on top. All five countries named four of them as priorities:

• Responsible use of AI tools

• Data literacy

• Digital marketing and online-reputation management

• Running booking, PMS and CRM systems

  
  

Data literacy was singled out as the most cited and least developed skill in the sector.

Participants also agreed that jobs are being reshaped, not replaced. Roles are converging on a "hybrid professional" who combines digital and AI skills with strong interpersonal and local, place-based skills.

On training, participants asked for short, practical courses delivered online or in blended formats. They wanted courses scheduled in the off-season, delivered close to the workplace and recognised through micro-credentials. Time and seasonality were the main barriers to taking part, followed by cost.

The workshop findings feed into BIAD's consolidated WP2 analysis, which concludes that current training is weakest where the sector's need is strongest. In the next phase (WP3), the partners will turn these priorities into modular short courses for tourism businesses and their staff.

About BIAD

BIAD is co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme (Grant Agreement No. 101244836). The project brings together partners from Greece, Italy, Spain, France and Türkiye: SCK, IURC, Forma Camera, OpenCom, Sapienza University of Rome, ANCES, FADE, AKTM, AYBU, Le LABA and CCI Gers.

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 European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.