COVID-induced lockdowns have exacerbated existing socioeconomic challenges, above all in the tourism sector, which accounts for 10% of the EU’s GDP and 10% employment. Indeed, the sector’s international GDP has fallen by over 49% and an 18.5% loss in tourism jobs in 2020 (WTTC, 2021). Such lockdowns have also affected work-life, leisure and recreational patterns, bringing about significant changes to daily routines and a need to adapt economic systems. If positive changes cannot be found to innovate work models and welfare, and increased adoption of CSR initiatives, adaptations can result in negative health and well-being impacts on people (Heller and Richter, 2020). In addition, climate crisis sensitivity, and growing demand for sustainability in nature, is putting high pressure on tourist destinations not to return to „business as usual".
These combined aspects represent a clear opportunity to rethink tourism trends to improve Sustainable Tourism Destination Management (STDM), and focus on emerging demands, such as labour welfare and health and well-being nature, in line with a just transition.
The WeNaTour alliance aims to increase the capacity of HEIs, VETs and business to integrate research results, innovative practice and digitalisation into a high-quality educational offer to support the creation of new products, services, entrepreneurial ventures and jobs in STDM while focusing on concrete approaches to supporting sustainability in destinations, as well as on two promising emerging markets: (1) labor welfare, and (2) health and well-being in nature. It will do so by facilitating the co-creation of knowledge and multidisciplinary approaches to teaching among an EU network of HEIs, VET and businesses active in sustainable tourism in Italy, Romania, Austria, Ireland, and Germany and the Netherlands; while aiming to deliver a global set of blended trainings providing relevant skills to operators, destinations, agencies and professionals.