QUEST- promoting Quality intErnships in Sustainable Tourism and cultural heritage management

According to the WTTC, in 2019, travel and tourism contributed 10.3% to global GDP, encompassing both direct and indirect impacts. The sector accounted for 4.4% of total global investments and 6.8% of global exports of goods and services, making it the third-largest export sector globally. Before the pandemic, tourism supported 333 million jobs worldwide, representing 10.3% of global employment. Moreover, each job within the tourism sector was estimated to generate approximately 1.5 additional jobs in related industries. The Mediterranean region remains one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. However, it faces critical vulnerabilities. Post-COVID, the region’s tourism sector is grappling with several pressing challenges, particularly: *Workforce vulnerabilities: Many tourism jobs are precarious, with low wages and a lack of skill development. Vulnerable groups—including young people, women, migrants, and individuals over 50. Tourism remains a key economic driver for rural economies in Europe, offering employment opportunities that can help reduce global youth unemployment. In today’s VUCA world, ensuring that tourism graduates are adequately prepared has become essential for the sector’s resilience and sustainability

The primary objective of QUEST is to enhance the employability of higher education (HE) students in the tourism sector—an industry characterized by rapid innovation and significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the ongoing challenge of equipping students with relevant knowledge and employability skills involved two key approaches: 1. Integrating employability skills into curricula: This is achieved by embedding supervised work experience directly within academic programs. 2. Providing stand-alone skills-based training: This approach focuses on offering dedicated training modules to build essential job-related skills. By adopting these strategies, QUEST aimed to prepare students for the dynamic and evolving demands of the tourism sector.

The QUEST project achieved the following key outcomes: • PR1 QUEST Flexible Learning Programme: An innovative, skill-based program designed for higher education (HE) students entering the tourism sector labor market. • PR2 QUEST E-Learning Platform: A unique digital platform developed to support HE students, HEI trainers, and organizational tutors throughout the learning program and work experience phases. • PR3 QUEST Policy and Cooperation Methodology: A formalized cooperation agreement established between HEIs and tourism organizations in the Mediterranean region, supported by a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. • PR4 QUEST Manual: A comprehensive publication documenting the QUEST methodology, learning program, activities, and results, created to facilitate future implementation and further exploitation of the project’s outcomes.