Greece Revives Hotel-School Model Amid Surge in Tourism

Greece Revives Hotel-School Model. Credit: Greek Reporter Archive

Greece is reinventing the mode it trains the adjacent procreation of hospitality professionals. In a determination that blends education, industry, and nationalist plus management, the Greek authorities is reviving the historical “hotel-school” model—where vocational grooming takes spot wrong afloat operational hotels—while introducing Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to modernize facilities and link students straight with the tourism sector.

This inaugural aims to fortify Greece’s presumption arsenic a global tourism leader portion ensuring practical, high-quality acquisition for its workforce.

A caller gathering betwixt Greek National Economy and Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis and Greek Minister of Tourism Olga Kefalogianni focused connected finalizing a Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) that volition acceptable the ineligible and organization model for the initiative, paving the mode for modernized, sustainable tourism schools.

Reviving the Hotel-School tradition

The betterment reintroduces the hotel-school concept, a proven attack that combines schoolroom learning with hands-on acquisition successful afloat operational hotels.

Inspired by palmy planetary models, the program ensures that students summation real-world skills portion contributing to the economical usage of nationalist buildings.

Key features of the caller model include:

1. Leasing acquisition facilities with hotel-building licenses done planetary tenders for up to 99 years.
2. Obligations for investors to modernize, maintain, and guarantee vigor ratio successful the buildings.
3. Continuation of acquisition programs without interruption, preserving their public, tuition-free nature.
4. Oversight of curricula and teaching maintained by the Ministry of Tourism.

Historical Evolution of Tourism Education successful Greece

• 1930s–1950s: The foundations

Tourism acquisition began successful Greece with the constitution of schools by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), aimed astatine professionalizing hospitality and catering. These programs laid the instauration for the country’s skilled workforce successful the sector.

1960s–1970s: The emergence of Hotel-Schools

The Greek Ministry of Tourism launched specialized edifice schools, including the renowned instauration successful Anavyssos. Modeled successful portion connected Switzerland’s dual acquisition system, these schools combined schoolroom acquisition with hands-on grooming successful state-run hotels, producing galore of the nation’s aboriginal hospitality leaders.

• 1980s–1990s: Expansion and integration

As tourism boomed, vocational schools multiplied. However, the hotel-school exemplary gradually gave mode to classroom-focused training. Many state-owned edifice facilities were underused contempt their potential.

• 2000s: Reform and diminution of facilities

Administrative changes led to shifting oversight of schools. Although request for trained unit increased, facilities often lagged down manufacture standards. Private academies and planetary edifice groups began filling the grooming gap.

• 2010s: Crisis and challenges

The fiscal situation further strained tourism acquisition infrastructure. Budget cuts near galore facilities outdated, highlighting the request for sustainable, modern solutions.

• 2020s: Reimagining tourism education

In 2023–2024, the authorities announced a large betterment to reconstruct the hotel-school model, integrating PPPs to guarantee modern, energy-efficient, and financially sustainable facilities portion preserving the nationalist quality of education.

Schools and communities benefiting

The betterment targets the Higher Professional Schools of Tourism Education (SAEK) successful Anavyssos, Piraeus, and Heraklion (Kokkini Hani). Students astatine these schools volition payment from modern facilities and applicable training, portion section communities summation from the revitalization of nationalist properties and the economical enactment generated by operational hotel-schools.

By leveraging PPPs, the authorities aims to harvester private-sector ratio with nationalist oversight. Investors volition beryllium contractually obliged to support precocious standards, portion the authorities ensures transparency, sustainability, and continuity of education.

Looking ahead

Tourism accounts for astir 25% of Greece’s GDP, making this betterment not conscionable an acquisition upgrade, but a strategical concern successful 1 of the country’s astir captious industries.

If successful, Greece’s renewed hotel-school exemplary could service arsenic an planetary benchmark for combining vocational education, real-world experience, and sustainable absorption of nationalist assets.