Òscar Casanovas (CETT-UB): “One of the main challenges for the sector is to naturally incorporate digitalisation without renouncing the capital importance of the human factor in relationships”.

He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Barcelona and is a lecturer and researcher linked to the TURCIT (Tourism, Culture and Territory) Research Group at the CETT-UB, especially in the area of Tourism and Society. He is the author of several publications in the field of Tourism Law and Public Tourism Management.

Why is it important to be trained in tourism and hospitality to stand out in the sector?

Training is important, essential, in any sector. In Tourism, Hotel Management and Gastronomy, there is a wide range of possibilities from a quantitative and qualitative point of view and it offers a perspective of professional competitiveness that anyone who wants to stand out and be promoted in the companies of the sector must make the most of.

Do you think there is a lack of investment in innovation or training in the tourism sector?

Indeed, there is a lack of investment in training and innovation and, in particular, in the combination of both, innovation in the training area. Instruments such as the internationalisation of professional profiles must be accompanied by the corresponding promotion function from public administrations.

What changes have you seen in terms of training provision in recent years? How has CETT adapted to these changes?

In the field of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy, the changes have been multiple and, above all, relevant. With the now real possibility of establishing demonstrable traceability, training, without losing its orientation towards business management, has broadened its range dramatically, also addressing the field of public management.

Furthermore, the incorporation of tourism studies at the University in the mid-1990s and the subsequent conversion of the diploma course into a degree at the end of the first decade of the 21st century have made a decisive contribution to the understanding of tourism as a science. Transversal and multidisciplinary, but science, after all. In short: we understand that tourism is more than just a relevant percentage of GDP; it is a determining contribution to real challenges such as sustainability, inclusion and peaceful coexistence.

CETT, following the path initiated by its founder, Gaspar Espuña, shows a clear vocation for leadership in these changes. By way of example, the progressive introduction of new Degrees, Gastronomy and Culinary Sciences and Digital Business and Tourism Innovation, together with the already consolidated Degree in Tourism, aim to offer the most holistic training possible, with excellence always as a non-negotiable goal. Within this panorama, special mention should also be made of Master’s courses, which raise the spectrum of tourism training to levels that were unthinkable even at the end of the previous century.

At the same time, continuous support for the training of new PhDs and tourism research, with the research groups leading this academic pathway.

The tourism sector is experiencing one of the worst employment crises. What is wrong with the labour market’s inability to respond to business demand? Is it a lack of training?

I do not understand that the labour crisis is exclusive to the tourism sector, not even that is the cause of the crisis. The lack of a solid employment framework to ensure a proper employment relationship must be considered.

The demand from companies is not met by the labour market because the demand lacks attractiveness. It is obvious that this gap can be filled through better working conditions and higher living wages. It cannot be assumed that a lack of training is the cause of this inadequacy.

In relation to this crisis, a recent Turijobs survey confirms that six out of ten workers want to leave the tourism sector and migrate to one with better working conditions. Is this something we should be concerned about? Why do you think this situation has come about?

It seems obvious that this is a worrying statistic; but more worrying is the question of whether the sector will be able to improve these working conditions and retain talent, one of the major challenges it faces in the near future. It does not seem so alarming that there are workers who leave or want to leave the sector, as the fact that those who do so or have in mind to do so are the most suitable, capable and prepared to lead it in the future.

How can its attractiveness as a sector for professional development be restored?

Better conditions and salaries and a better delimitation of professional profiles. Elaboration of a constructive speech in relation to the sector, facing the need to increase the importance of tourism studies in the social conscience.

The tourism sector has experienced increasing digitalisation. What do you see as the sector’s main challenges in coping with this transformation? What is the role of training?

The main challenge for the sector is to naturally incorporate digitalisation without renouncing the capital importance of the human factor in relationships.

Training has the transcendent role of making digitalisation a priority without abandoning the basic and classical values of human relationships. However, this does not mean that the critical capacity exercised in a constructive manner and the transformative capacity that future professionals must exercise from the leadership of the sector cannot be put to the forefront.

What professional skills do you think will be in demand in the coming years?

We firmly believe that the competencies that will be demanded of future professionals (and which will also be demanded by future professionals) will involve the resilient and committed exercise of the so-called “soft skills”, the capacity to adapt to change, the capacity for transformation and the capacity for leadership.

Cross-cutting capacity for empathy.

More than knowledge, the ability to learn. More than know-how, know-how at the level of excellence. And to know how to “infect” the work teams.

Sustainability is now on the agenda of many hotels, destinations and tourism companies. How can training help to promote a more sustainable and responsible tourism?

Sustainability has indeed become a classic item on the agenda. It is important, however, not to abuse the concept to the point of vulgarising it, because it is crucial to us.

Training can, and indeed is, contributing by raising awareness among future professionals, involving them in various training actions at the level of workshops, seminars, volunteering, internships, etc.

Moreover, in this sense, training programmes and their contents are linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, so that disruptive methodologies guide the university community in the direction that the international community stresses.

How do you imagine tourism in 10 years’ time?

We have put it on the table: the next generations will have to drive the change and the following generations will have to consolidate it. Increasingly difficult, all the more reason to pin our hopes on quality training that is committed to the challenges we are already facing. The achievement of the ODSs, a utopia but not a mirage, is a clear example of the way forward. The road exists, it must be travelled in the right direction. And the University must set itself up as the compass of this exciting journey.