The UAB's Tourism programme to participate in the creation of a Code of Value of Tourism Talent

The Spanish Conference of Deans of Tourism, at its last general assembly, approved a Code of the Value of Tourism Talent, in the context of the growing recognition of the importance of tourism as an economic and social engine.

Talent resides in the people who have been trained in the field of tourism, who develop their professional activity in the sector and work in different areas of tourism companies and organisations. The deans consider that the development of the sector is related to the talent of people, given that tourism is an activity of people with people, where multidirectional relationships are the factor that provides value.

The Code establishes seven commitments to the development of talent in the tourism sector:

• The growth of tourism activity cannot be put ahead of the people who are the repositories of tourism talent.
• In some cases, a distinction must be made between professionals in the tourism sector and those in the hospitality industry since, although they converge in the tourism value chain, their training and professional development require different spaces.
• Talent managers must foster friendly professional environments that are in line with the training obtained.
• The development of tourism activity must recognise talent management as the basis of its value and sustainability.
• The tourism sector and society in general must also be committed to talent and training in this area.
• Collaboration between training centres and all tourism companies, organisations and institutions is necessary to promote talent and a quality professional career.
• It is necessary that the tourism sector and other related sectors, as well as the media, recognise the value of the degree in Tourism because these are the university studies that provide the specific and essential competencies for a professional career in the sector.

Training of tourism professionals

The Conference of Deans of Tourism, which brings together all universities offering bachelor's and master's degrees in tourism throughout the country, is working on various aspects to increase the recognition of the tourism sector, its professionals and university education in the field of tourism. In addition to the code, the deans want to put forward a proposal for professional profiles in the field of tourism in order to design a coherent training system at the undergraduate, master's and PhD levels that will contribute to the competitiveness and professionalisation of the sector.

With regard to the pre-university area, they also want to establish tourism challenges with the aim of raising awareness of the sector and promoting studies in this field among high school and vocational training students, and encourage their capacity for reflection, entrepreneurship and social responsibility.

With these initiatives, the conference wants to respond to the changes in the professional profiles that must be addressed by the training offer at different levels due to the exponential development of the sector: the tourism situation at national level has been characterised by a growth that has been the transforming factor of the economy for decades.