The Polytechnic University of Beja and Turismo de Portugal signed a cooperation protocol for the creation of the Higher Technical Professional Course in Border Tourism and Eurocity. This new higher education programme will operate at the Hotel and Tourism School of Vila Real de Santo António and is scheduled to start in the academic year 2026/2027.
The Hotel and Tourism School of Vila Real de Santo António is located in the cross-border territory of the Eurocity Guadiana, which includes the Algarve municipalities of Vila Real de Santo António, Castro Marim, Alcoutim and Tavira, as well as the Alentejo municipalities of Mértola, Serpa, Moura and Barrancos.
The partnership with Turismo de Portugal provides a training framework directly related to one of the main economic activities of the region, representing an investment in bringing higher education closer to the needs of the territory and the opportunities arising from its strategic location near the border.
The new course aims to contribute to the enhancement and development of the region through the training of specialised professionals in border tourism and Eurocity contexts, strengthening the higher education provision in a region where tourism and cross-border cooperation with Spain hold strategic importance.
