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- Creating collaborative research opportunities at a distance: from Porto to Cluj-NapocaPublication . Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Liberato, Dália; Silva, Cândida; Amaral, Paula; Negrușa, Adina Letiția; Cosma, Smaranda Adina; Fleșeriu, CristinaFocusing on an Interdisciplinary Project (IP) involving Higher Education Institutions from Portugal (School of Hospitality and Tourism – Polytechnic Institute of Porto) and Romania (Faculty of Business – Babeş-Bolyai University), this short paper describes a joint project developed by tourism students attending tourism courses at both institutions. This project, which concentrated on the cities of Porto (Portugal) and Cluj-Napoca (Romania), involved different courses and set out to identify motivations, attitudes and perceptions of generation Z tourists, by collaboratively designing, applying and analyzing a joint questionnaire for each destination. Relying heavily on a technology-mediated, innovative approach that focuses on problem-solving, collaboration and communication skills, this paper draws on literature, field observation and informal feedback to give a general overview of the teaching and learning strategies used throughout the project and describe its implementation. Based on these premises, and taking into account the challenges currently being faced by HEI and the need to further enhance students’ learning experience and promote an articulated development of skills that meet the needs of an increasingly digital workplace, this project provides a practical framework for other initiatives within this scope, thus making a viable and constructive contribution towards educational innovation, particularly in the field of tourism education.
- "Rota dos Sabores" – simulation-based learning in Tourism, Hospitality and Catering education and trainingPublication . Melo, António; Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, SandraCurrent society and the labour market value and demand that people have the ability to work in teams and be creative, innovative and adaptable to new situations. Having become increasingly important in education, these skills are particularly relevant within the tourism, hospitality and catering fields, which traditionally rely heavily on practical teaching and learning approaches, focusing on real-world issues and skills that reflect the professional scenarios and challenges of future graduates. Drawing from these premises, this paper will describe ‘Rota dos Sabores’, a student-organized gastronomic event taking place in the last semester of the degree in Catering and Restaurant Management. Aiming to enhance students’ creativity, teamwork, collaborative skills, and their ability to adapt to new situations, this event combines both soft and technical skills (e.g., event organisation and management), at the same time it helps students broaden their international gastronomic culture, being leveraged by structured practical training and work simulation approaches. Based on desk research, observation and content analysis (resulting from questionnaires applied to the students and event participants), this paper aims to frame the activities carried out, crosscutting different perspectives as to establish the importance of collaboration and teamwork in shaping the future careers of hospitality graduates. In addition to describing the different event stages and its implementation, the authors will reflect on students’ overall performance and feedback as crucial components of teaching and learning experiences. As a result, this paper is expected to contribute to the development of new training and inform future simulation-based activities in this area.
- Creative tourism in Vila Nova de Foz Côa: current challenges and future perspectivesPublication . Liberato, Dália; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Paulos, Adriana; Liberato, Pedro; Melo, CarlaThe tourism industry is constantly evolving, mostly due to the development of destinations and ever-changing tourist preferences. As a result, there has been a growing concern with promoting the use of existing resources and increasing profitability, particularly by encouraging diversity and creating local dynamics, moving beyond mass tourism. As tourists show a preference for more personalized and authentic experiences, there is also a growing demand for different experiences, paving the way for creative tourism and co-created activities. Focusing on creative tourism in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, this paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the concept of creative tourism, as well as to identify its potential and impact on this region. Drawing from a literature review crosscutting the concepts of authenticity, creativity, and memorability, and on semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders, authors put forward a comprehensive analysis of the state of the art of local policies and available tourism activities, outlining key-areas for future development. Overall, the main results of this research show that creative tourism in Vila Nova de Foz Côa is still at an early stage, and even though there is a common interest in developing this practice, it is necessary to improve the relationship between the different stakeholders, particularly when it comes to their communication and involvement in shared initiatives. On the other hand, given the potential of the region, it was also possible to identify prospective tourism products and activities, which can leverage future initiatives within this scope.
- Soft skills in action: developing tourism students skills through interdisciplinarityPublication . Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, António; Melo, Carla; Liberato, Dália; Lopes, Maria CarlosTourism research has highlighted the strategic need to identify and assess relevant skills for the sector to ensure organizations’ competitiveness. Describing an interdisciplinary project carried out at the School of Hospitality and Tourism (Polytechnic Institute of Porto), this paper aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on the importance of soft skills in the tourism industry and the role played by higher education institutions and tourism education in promoting their development. Working toward bridging the gap between academia and the labor market, this project covered five different courses and challenged students to write research papers, drawing from interviews with stakeholders from different tourism subsectors. Making use of a collaborative approach, based on complementarity and field work, the project succeeded, exceeding initial expectations and enhancing participants’ teaching and learning experiences. In addition to being aligned with current trends in tourism education, it also provides valuable insights on the affordances and attainability of interdisciplinarity, ultimately informing further joint initiatives within this scope.
- From volunteering to experiential learning: a service-learning project in tourism higher educationPublication . Melo, Carla; Meneses, Daniela; Vasconcelos, SandraIn recent years, there has been a growing adoption of more active, student-centered pedagogical strategies, which aim to develop skills beyond theoretical knowledge and better prepare future professionals. Motivated by a diverse range of factors, such as the need to bridge/fill in training gaps identified by the job market, or the difficulty to engage 21st century students, this adoption of innovative methodologies can also be framed by the lack of systematized data, which allows effective reflection and sharing of good practices in tourism higher education (THE). Innovative pedagogical methodologies are diverse and include service learning, which is understood as an approach that “combines the learning goals and the community service in such a way that it can simultaneously benefit both the students and the community” (Chau et al., 2023, p. 5). This approach is at the root of the Events Team project, a volunteer group that includes students from different courses and levels of higher education (vocational courses, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees) of the School of Hospitality and Tourism of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ESHT-IPP), in Portugal. The project – Events Team – aims to support the organization of events promoted by and/or requested to the School, while providing students with the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning experiences. The research hereby presented aims to further contribute to the ongoing reflection on the affordances of service and experiential learning by sharing the insights and key results of the project, namely by exploring the students’ motivations join and take part in the group’s activities, as well as their perceptions on the contribution of the experience to the enrichment of their learning and their future employability.
- Shaping the new normal: Portuguese hotel and event managers’ reactions to COVID-19Publication . Melo, Carla; Melo, António; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Meneses, DanielaThe COVID-19 pandemic has created a worldwide crisis, which has had an impact on all economic sectors, having transformed social and consumption patterns. This crisis has been particularly difficult for the tourism industry, with uncertainty and the emergence of new consumer profiles and demands prompting swift reactions from policymakers and stakeholders. Focussing on two sub-sectors of the Portuguese tourism industry – hospitality and events – this paper aims to identify the most relevant concerns and Crisis Management Strategies adopted in each of these sectors in the early stages of the pandemic, putting forward a multi-layered analysis, juxtaposing the different challenges faced by managers and how they were approached. Based on previous studies and on 14 semi-structured interviews with hotel and event managers, the authors adopted an exploratory qualitative approach as to record and categorize the interviewees’ perceptions, having established the transversal importance of resilience, flexibility, and technology for each sector’s recovery. Moreover, taking into account the singularity of each setting, the authors were also able to identify more specific sectorial categories, which have had an effect on both the decision-making and future outlooks for both the hospitality and events industries. Overall, despite being hopeful, hotel and event managers anticipate different recovery challenges, with the first highlighting the importance of soft skills, and the latter emphasizing the need to regain the public’s confidence, at the same time they will have to rethink their offer as to better address current needs and concerns.
- To play or not to play: a snapshot of the contribution of game-based approaches in tourism higher educationPublication . Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, AntónioIn a volatile and increasingly digital world, with rhythms (of life, learning, and experimentation) becoming more fast-tracked, it is with no surprise that students’ engagement and ability to focus have become one of the greatest challenges for higher education teachers. Despite the growing interest surrounding student-centred and active teaching and learning methodologies, there seems to be a growing disconnection from students, which hinders their learning and professional growth, making it necessary to invest in research, as well as the development of more meaningful and engaging strategies. In tourism education, game-based approaches have been successfully pointed out as strategies that enhance students’ motivation to act, by making learning more attractive and fun. Likewise, experiential learning methodologies (in general) have proved to be especially suitable within this setting since many of the skills to be developed are best worked on through learning-by-doing activities. Within the scope of this study, researchers have used gamified approaches that include board games and quizzes (e.g., Kahoot and student response systems such as Socrative), as well as other activities where game principles have been adopted to create more attractive and challenging learningscapes. Based on the data collected through classroom observation and students’ perceptions and results (e.g., their quiz scores), researchers were able to conclude that students are open and motivated to engage in gamified approaches. Moreover, despite the more relaxed and playful environment of these activities, students' ability to focus is greater, as is their involvement in the tasks to be performed. The findings also suggest that using games can help teachers pinpoint and address students’ doubts more quickly and effectively, which in some cases is enhanced with technology playing an instrumental role in collecting and recording data. In addition, gamified strategies proved to be reliable and simple to use, having yielded valuable insights on learners’ progress and the way they learn.
- Soft skills & turismo: do mercado à academiaPublication . Melo, António; Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Liberato, Dália; Lopes, Maria CarlosA educação e formação em turismo tem vindo a ser alargada significativamente nas últimas décadas, concomitantemente com a importância da atividade turística para Portugal nomeadamente em termos sociais, culturais e económicos. As exigências dos desempenhos profissionais têm vindo a demonstrar a importância da formação técnica e a relevância da posse de competências transversais, ou soft skills, por parte de todos os atores deste setor. As competências transversais, entendidas como um conjunto de competências pessoais e interpessoais, podem ser utilizadas e são importantes em múltiplas profissões, independentemente da área específica de conhecimento (Vieira & Marques, 2014). Através da realização de um trabalho interdisciplinar, no âmbito de cinco unidades curriculares, os estudantes finalistas da Licenciatura em Gestão de Atividades Turísticas, foram motivados a recolher e analisar perceções relacionadas com as soft skills nos diferentes subsetores do Turismo, no sentido de perceber quais as competências exigidas/procuradas pelos seus potenciais empregadores. Para tal, através da aplicação de uma metodologia qualitativa, com recurso a entrevistas para a coleta de dados, os estudantes realizaram um trabalho investigativo, entre março e abril de 2021, do qual resultaram por grupo, um short paper e uma apresentação final em inglês. A realização deste trabalho interdisciplinar contribuiu, para os estudantes, na aquisição de competências relacionadas com a área do curso, designadamente a utilização de linguagem técnica, a capacidade de fornecer informações sobre o percurso académico, experiência profissional e o desenvolvimento de competências transversais, e, não menos importante para os docentes a construção de diálogos interdisciplinares e aprendizagens dialéticas.
- The changing face of events after COVID-19: initial reactions and future perspectivesPublication . Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, António; Meneses, DanielaThe COVID-19 health crisis has significantly impacted the tourism and events industries, having prompted different responses from stakeholders and decision-makers. Focusing on the initial response from event managers and drawing from their perceptions, this paper outlines the dimensions considered to have been more directly affected by the crisis, analyzing how they shaped event managers’ outlook on the future. In order to provide a comprehensive view, researchers carried out six interviews, having resorted to purposive sampling, as to collect data from managers working with social, corporate, and cultural events. Overall, Operations, Human Resources, and Decision-making stood out as the most relevant dimensions, mostly stemming from the need to act quickly when faced with this unforeseen situation, having had a short- and medium-term impact on recovery prospects. Together with Health and Safety and Customer Relationship Management, these dimensions are expected to play an important role in shaping the future of events, as, in addition to changes regarding the dimension, format, and sustainability, managers anticipate a shift in peoples’ behavior and expectations, which will ultimately affect their experience, calling for different approaches and strategies.
- CEDH - a lifelong learning program to improve hotel managers pathsPublication . Melo, António; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, CarlaDue to the growth of the industry, hospitality professionals, and most particularly hotel managers, are increasingly being challenged to develop new skills and adapt to operational challenges, new trends of services, facing the ever-changing labour market, requiring them to be more flexible, creative, resilient and focused on recovery (the latter having become paramount in the post-COVID era). Following the end of regulated access to the profession of Hotel Manager, in 2013, the Portuguese Hotel Managers Association (ADHP), created a short specialization course in Hotel Management (CEDH), to contribute to the valorisation of the function of Hotel Director and promote lifelong learning (LLL). By combining academic expertise (through the involvement of experts and higher education professors) and practical know-how (through the participation of highly skilled and experienced professionals), CEDH aims to improve lifelong learning within the scope of Portuguese hospitality. Framed by a literature review, the data was collected through a survey with closed and open questions, aiming to identify: i) overall strengths and weaknesses; ii) suggestions for improvement; and iii) perceived impact in participants career path. In addition to describing the rationale behind the program and its implementation, this paper will address the affordances and potential of lifelong learning in hospitality education, based on participants’ initial expectations and final perceptions. It is expected to further advance recent research in LLL practices in hospitality education, as well as provide a plan of action to be reflected on the program’s next editions, as well as on other similar initiatives and projects.