President of AEB expects that Tourism will continue to grow and Braga will reach, in 2023, 695 thousand overnight stays. In this context, it draws attention to the importance of training and qualifying human resources.
At a time when the shortage of labor is seen as the biggest challenge facing Tourism in Portugal, all perspectives point to the sector continuing to grow in Portugal. Braga is no exception and the objective for 2023 is to reach close to 700,000 overnight stays, increase the average stay of tourists and combat seasonality by extending tourist activity throughout the year.
At the seminar 'Inspiring FuTour: the future of tourism professions', which took place yesterday morning at the Faculty of Philosophy of Braga at the Catholic University, Daniel Vilaça listed some of the goals that are expected to be achieved in 2023, within the scope of the project ' Braga: Authentic City'.
Among the defined goals, he highlighted the increase in tourist demand in Braga to 695 thousand overnight stays, the increase in the average stay in Braga to two nights, the increase in revenue from tourism and the expansion of tourist activity throughout the year, reaching an occupancy rate in the order of 55%.
The President of the Board of AEB warned, however, that education and training in Tourism is decisive for the future of the sector and for the success of those who work in this area.
Aware of the importance of qualified human resources, Daniel Vilaça stressed that, in 2023, the AEB estimates to involve 400 active workers in the sector in qualification actions and 50 active in RVCC processes - Recognition, Validation and Certification of Skills.
Daniel Vilaça, who was speaking at the opening session of the seminar organized by the AEB and the Catholic University, recalled that Braga is now recognized as a destination of excellence and that for the expansion of Tourism "the factor that most contributes" is the quality and talent of the organizations and human resources dedicated to the sector. “These resources make the real difference in such a globalized and competitive sector”, he underlined.
António Barroso was also optimistic about tourist activity in the municipality, pointing out that the numbers are not yet known, “but 2022 will be very close, and may even surpass the performance of 2019” which was the best year ever, in terms of tourism, to Braga.
The representative of the Municipality of Braga stressed that “it is necessary to continue working” to maintain Braga as a destination of excellence. And if for that it is important to know how to keep up with trends, it is also vital “not to lose authenticity, because that is what sets us apart”.
The director of the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, José Manuel Lopes, recalled that “tourism is the main economic activity in Portugal”, employing around 19% of the national workforce, hence the need to retrain human resources “essential to guarantee the competitiveness of the sector”. It was precisely in this context that the Catholic University invested in the creation of the Tourism course.
Addressing an audience mostly made up of Tourism students, but also attended by many professionals in the sector, Vice President Tourism of Porto and North of Portugal, Inácio Ribeiro, stressed that the biggest challenge that Tourism currently faces “is the lack of manpower, especially of qualified manpower”, which means that these students have “the future in their hands”.
