CETT works on applied research and knowledge transfer projects. Could you share how partnerships between universities, businesses, and public administrations enable the generation of real, high-impact innovation for tourist destinations, value chains, and local communities?

Today’s challenges cannot be addressed from a single sphere. That is why we are committed to genuine and ongoing collaboration between the business, academic, and institutional worlds. Leadership today means building alliances, co-creating, sharing knowledge, and innovating collectively.

At CETT, we approach knowledge generation from the perspective of applied research aimed at creating conscious impact. Our research activity focuses on identifying, analyzing, and defining practical solutions to specific challenges within the tourism, hospitality, and gastronomy sectors.

We strongly believe in this model and promote it through platforms such as the UB Chair in Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy CETT, as well as by participating in networks that bring together academic stakeholders, public administrations, and territorial agents, such as NECSTouR, the Network of European Regions for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism. In addition, since its creation in 2016, I have been a member of the Tourism and City Council, the advisory and participatory body on tourism matters of Barcelona City Council, where the desired city model and tourism development strategy are debated. Other CETT experts have also contributed to working groups on mobility, priorities for the city’s tourism model, sustainability and tourism, new tourism imaginaries, labor market and tourism, and tourism marketing strategy.

Digital transformation and the data economy are profoundly reshaping the tourism industry. Which emerging competencies do you consider essential for sector professionals, and how does CETT’s educational model integrate them to ensure graduates can respond effectively to this new context?

The future of talent in tourism lies in integrating technology and humanism. It is essential to develop emerging competencies such as data literacy and applied analytics, a strategic understanding of artificial intelligence and automation, and the ability to design and manage digital platforms. Above all, it is crucial to cultivate critical thinking in relation to technology, grounded in strong principles of ethics, sustainability, and data governance, alongside key transversal skills such as creativity, adaptability to change, collaboration within hybrid human-machine teams, and evidence-based decision-making.

In this regard, CETT trains professionals who are capable not only of using technology, but also of interpreting it, questioning it, and governing it. They are prepared to lead the tourism industry in a scenario defined by data, automation, and constant innovation. Our goal is for them to understand technology not as an end in itself, but as a strategic tool at the service of business performance, destination management, and the enhancement of the user experience.

In a globalized environment, destinations require an international outlook. How does CETT prepare its students and the sector to compete and collaborate globally while preserving local identity and cultural values?

We address this challenge through education, close territorial engagement, and a strong social and cultural commitment.

Tourist destinations need professionals who are capable of operating with a global vision while remaining deeply connected to local identity. To achieve this, we prepare our students — more than 1,500 from 73 different countries — with an integrative perspective, fostering key competencies such as ethical leadership, intercultural understanding, and global communication.

Our academic portfolio incorporates a strong international dimension, including mobility programs, courses taught in different languages, collaborative projects, and agreements with seventy foreign universities, alongside continuous analysis of global trends. At the same time, we promote territorial rootedness as a strategic value, offering learning experiences linked to the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage, such as local gastronomy and culture.

In the tourism economy, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises represent a significant share. What relationships does CETT maintain with this business fabric, and what types of support programs — training, advisory, innovation — does it develop to enhance their competitiveness?

Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises are a key component of our educational ecosystem and of the country’s tourism model. We maintain close and continuous relationships with them across multiple areas, including tailor-made training and advisory and mentoring projects, applying a practical logic that helps companies transform real challenges into concrete actions.

One of our distinctive strengths is the transfer of applied research generated by CETT’s research groups to the business community in the form of applied projects, methodologies, management tools, and innovation proposals. These initiatives respond to real sector needs and contribute to informed decision-making. We also create knowledge-sharing and networking spaces for the sector, such as the Tourism Breakfasts organized jointly with Foment del Treball, as well as initiatives like Tourism Talent Management, CETT Talent, and CETT Talks.

Finally, and fundamentally, innovation and talent connection are central pillars. Through curricular internships, company-linked academic projects, real-world challenges, and stable collaborations with the sector, we facilitate SMEs’ access to young talent and fresh perspectives, while students gain experience in real professional environments. Overall, our objective is to contribute to a more professionalized, sustainable tourism model with greater social return. Recently, we inaugurated the CETT Business Advisory Council, a proactive collaboration platform between academia and industry aimed at jointly generating new capabilities, positioning talent as a differentiating value, and transforming knowledge into positive impact for the sector.

Public-private partnerships are essential for sustainable tourism governance. From your experience, which elements are indispensable to ensure that such alliances generate tangible results for destinations rather than remaining mere good intentions?

As mentioned, our philosophy and operational essence are collaborative. To achieve successful agreements and partnerships, we clearly define objectives and establish transparent success indicators. It is essential to have a clear, informed horizon grounded in tangible knowledge so that good intentions can be translated into concrete and beneficial outcomes for communities and stakeholders.

In operational terms, these partnerships must rest on two key pillars: data democratization and standardized commitment. Alliances should build a shared vision, because if public and private actors are not working from the same data, they cannot solve the same problems. In this regard, I would highlight successful collaborations such as the sustainability indicators project carried out with Ajuntament de Barcelona through the UB Chair in Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy CETT.

The tourism sector faces major challenges such as seasonality, talent drain, and pressure on local resources. What educational, research, or institutional engagement strategies does CETT promote to help address these challenges in collaboration with public administrations?

At CETT, we understand that the major challenges facing the tourism sector — including seasonality, talent attraction and retention, and pressure on local resources — can only be addressed through a shared-responsibility approach that integrates education, knowledge generation, and public policy.

In the educational sphere, we promote comprehensive, applied training closely connected to the realities of the tourism industry. Our curricula incorporate sustainability, responsible destination management, innovation, and climate change adaptation, alongside the development of transversal competencies that foster stable, high-quality employability. We also work actively to align our academic offerings with the sector’s real needs and to anticipate the professional profiles that future tourism models will require.

In terms of research and knowledge transfer, CETT drives projects aimed at generating evidence-based insights to support both public and corporate decision-making. Through studies, conferences, and sector forums, we contribute to shaping a more resilient tourism model that is better integrated within its territorial context.

From an institutional engagement perspective, we act as a bridge between academia, the business community, and public administrations. We participate in working groups, advisory councils, and strategic projects where tourism policies are defined, consistently emphasizing talent, lifelong learning, and innovation as key levers for transformation. We firmly believe that only through solid, knowledge-based public-private collaboration will it be possible to move toward a more sustainable, competitive, and socially responsible tourism model.

Throughout your career, you have defended the value of knowledge as a driver of sector competitiveness, as highlighted in CETT’s candidacy to UN Tourism. What role do international education and tourism research networks play in strengthening the global positioning of institutions such as CETT?

As a center for knowledge, research, and education in tourism affiliated with the University of Barcelona, our presence in international networks is indispensable. It connects us with peer institutions and diverse global contexts, allowing us to integrate an international and plural perspective while positioning CETT as a knowledge actor capable of influencing realities beyond the local sphere. At the same time, it enables us to function as a hub for international experts, significantly enhancing our contribution to sector competitiveness.

Our participation in international networks spans the multiple dimensions of tourism as a complex and multidisciplinary field. For example, CETT researchers are members of the Executive Council of the International Association for Tourism Economics and of the Scientific Committee of the Centro Europeo para el Turismo Literario. We are also part of networks such as EUROCHRIE (The Hospitality and Tourism Educators) and International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT), reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the center and its capacity to analyze tourism from diverse perspectives.

Our contribution to networking extends beyond academia. We also participate as an academic stakeholder in initiatives such as the UN Tourism Barometer, as contributors, and in networks like NECSTouR (The Network of European Regions for Competitive and Sustainable Tourism) and International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO).

At the national level, we maintain this diversity in our collaborative activity by serving on the board of Asociación Española de Expertos Científicos en Turismo (AECIT), a leading organization for tourism researchers in Spain, and by participating in networks such as REDINTUR and the Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles (AGE).

In relation to collaboration between academia and tourist destinations, could you share a specific case in which CETT has intervened to enhance a destination’s competitiveness through training, applied research, or institutional innovation?

CETT’s research area includes a knowledge transfer unit that develops projects in collaboration with public bodies and institutions. For example, last year our research team specializing in gastronomic tourism promoted, together with Saborea España — a strategic alliance formed by the Association of Destinations for the Promotion of Gastronomic Tourism, FACYRE, Euro-Toques, and Hostelería de España, and supported by Turespaña — the creation of the Saborea España Academic Forum.

This Forum is a collaborative platform where the expert research community in gastronomic tourism, drawn from universities located in member destinations, works jointly with tourism managers on projects aimed at strengthening the development of gastronomic tourism. The first project undertaken by the Academic Forum was the design of Indicators for the Analysis of Gastronomic Tourism, an initiative also led by CETT.

The measurement of tourism’s social, economic, and environmental impact is increasingly relevant. How does CETT approach this dimension in its academic and research activity, and which indicators do you consider most useful to evaluate tourism’s contribution to community well-being?

CETT addresses this dimension comprehensively, bridging academic research and practical transfer. We work both through the Tourism and Society line of the TURCiT Research Group and through the UB Chair in Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy CETT.

In this regard, our collaboration with Ajuntament de Barcelona has been particularly significant. On the one hand, our research on sustainability indicators laid the methodological foundations for the current Barcelona Tourism Observatory, facilitating its integration into the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) of World Tourism Organization. On the other hand, we have led participatory governance projects aimed at incorporating citizens’ perspectives into the real management of the destination.

As for indicators, assessing community well-being requires going beyond traditional economic metrics. I consider it essential to include indicators that measure pressure and coexistence, such as the resident satisfaction index — reflecting local perceptions of tourism — levels of saturation in public spaces, and housing price evolution in tourist areas. It is equally important to monitor spending in local commerce and, above all, the quality of employment generated. Social sustainability fails if residents do not perceive tourism as delivering tangible value.

Finally, Dr. Abellanet, looking ahead to the next five to ten years, what is your strategic vision for CETT, and which three key achievements would you most like to accomplish in education, innovation, and public-private collaboration to transform tourism into a driver of sustainable development?

Looking to the next five to ten years, our strategic vision is clear: to consolidate CETT as an internationally recognized university center of excellence in education, research, and knowledge transfer in tourism, hospitality, and gastronomy. We aim to be a key actor in the sector’s transformation toward a more competitive, better-governed, and genuinely sustainable model.

Within this horizon, three major achievements guide our ambition, structured around knowledge, talent, and innovation.

First, talent development. Our objective is to educate highly competent professionals endowed with critical thinking, ethical awareness, and human quality — individuals capable of leading and responding to the major challenges of a constantly evolving sector. Professionals who not only master technical expertise but also understand the social, economic, and environmental implications of their decisions.

Second, innovation. We aspire to consolidate the CETT Campus as a benchmark hub for research, creativity, and open, transdisciplinary innovation in tourism, hospitality, and gastronomy — a dynamic environment where universities, companies, public administrations, and social institutions collaborate to generate real solutions to sector challenges.

Third, applied knowledge. For tourism to function as a true engine of sustainable development, it is essential to generate robust evidence and practical knowledge that connect universities, businesses, and destinations, serving as a foundation for both public policy and private transformation strategies.

In short, from CETT we seek — through academic rigor and a strong societal commitment — to help build a tourism model with greater value, deeper purpose, and stronger long-term prospects.

Thank you very much for this enriching opportunity to share CETT’s strategic vision. It has been a pleasure to explore in depth the crucial role of human talent as a driver of competitiveness and sustainability in the tourism sector. From the Tourism and Society Think Tank, we remain at CETT’s disposal to collaborate in all initiatives that contribute to strengthening professional knowledge and advancing the sector.