Employment in the tourism sector is often associated with poor hours and low wages. But this is not always the case, defends the Tech Tourism Cluster. This Catalan organization, promoted by the Generalitat in 2022, wants to dignify the tourism industry by promoting qualified employment in businesses linked to technology.
“There are more and more digital companies specialized in tourism, and their managers tell us that they have difficulties finding trained professionals. We believe that in Catalonia there are many workers who are not attracted to the sector because of its bad reputation. We would like to put an end to this, since we are a reference territory worldwide in this sector, not only in terms of visitors, but also in terms of companies,” comments Xavier Garcia, manager of the association.
The opportunities, the manager points out, are found in various businesses, but especially in those related to online travel reservations and hotel management software.
Recruiting talent is one of the main reasons why the Tech Tourism Cluster was founded, which began its activity with subsidies from Acció, the Generalitat's agency for business competitiveness. In two years, the cluster has managed to attract almost 80 members, who now finance the center's activity with annual monetary contributions. Among the members are reference companies, such as eDreams, Vueling, Amadeus, Catalonia Hotels, Beroni or Seidor. Smaller companies, such as startups, are also represented, as well as research centers and universities. In this last group, entities such as the CETT of the University of Barcelona, the IQS, Eurecat, the UOC, the UdG, the UPC or Tecnocampus stand out.
“We want to bring together any type of entity linked to tourism and technology and promote collaboration between them, acting on issues that go beyond employment,” says Garcia.
Among other priorities, the Tech Tourism Cluster aims to promote entrepreneurship by providing support to entrepreneurs who want to found a startup. Environmental sustainability is another area in which the association works, as well as the internationalization of technological projects and training sessions for associate members.
This year, the center plans to reach one hundred associate members. Garcia considers that the cluster has room to grow, since he estimates that in Catalonia there are 600 companies and entities linked to the world of technology and tourism. Garcia is confident in the success of the project, and even more so after learning that the cluster system promoted by the Generalitat of Catalonia has become a case study for Harvard students. The prestigious university in the United States announced last December that the MBA, business administration, and MPA, public policy courses will study the cluster model since it began during the 1990s to the present.
The Government considers that its policy is an asset that plays a fundamental role in the competitiveness of the Catalan economy. In the last 30 years, this program promoted by Acció incorporates 27 clusters from all types of sectors that bring together more than 2,700 associated companies and agents, whose aggregate turnover exceeds 70,000 million euros.
