How are EU funds helping Portugal’s post-pandemic recovery?

With its long coastline, sunny weather and attractive sights, Portugal is a prime tourist destination. But following the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, industry experts have called attention to shortcomings in investment, training and sustainability in the sector.

Launched in 2019, the EU’s post-pandemic Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) offers financial support to Member States, like Portugal, and seeks to make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the green and digital transitions.

Catarina Nunes is the Vice-rector of Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies. She oversees a new RRF-funded program aimed at overcoming skill shortages in Portugal's tourism industry. Speaking to Euronews, she explained that more could be done to help the sector live up to its full potential.

"In Portugal, there is still a long way to go in terms of training in the field of tourism and hospitality," Catarina explained. "There are changes that the market thus imposes: demands for innovation, improvement, sustainability, the creation of new businesses, new trends, meeting the needs of the market."

"We are part of a consortium of three higher education institutions which will receive around €6.7 million. We can provide a digital transformation for the sector, we can provide requalification, continuous improvement and training tailored to the needs of the market," she said.

An estimated 8000 students will benefit from this investment over the course of five years.

One such student is João Aleixo, who told Euronews that, for him and others, the Recovery and Resilience Facility has opened up access to higher education.

"There is a very important opportunity that the national