From fragmented skills intelligence to a structured tourism skills-monitoring framework
The development of the TOUR-X Skills WatchTower began from the recognition that tourism skills intelligence is frequently dispersed across policy documents, labour-market analyses, regional studies, academic research and sector-specific reports. Although these sources provide valuable insights into structural trends affecting employment and competence development, they do not necessarily offer a sufficiently granular or regularly updated picture of the skills needs experienced by tourism enterprises at regional level. The WatchTower was therefore conceived as a mechanism capable of bringing different forms of evidence together within a common analytical framework and translating them into a structured basis for continuous skills anticipation.
The initial design phase was led by the Hellenic Open University and was grounded in a systematic consolidation of evidence collected through the TOUR-X partnership and external research sources. Between September 2024 and January 2025, HOU reviewed European policy frameworks, Cedefop analyses, national and regional studies, academic literature, evidence generated through WP3, and broader tourism and labour-market intelligence. The purpose of this phase was not simply to reproduce existing research, but to identify areas in which established sector-level evidence could be complemented by more focused information from tourism enterprises themselves.
This evidence review played an important methodological role because it allowed the WatchTower to build directly on the Training Needs Analysis undertaken under WP3 rather than duplicate it. The WP3 analysis provided a broad understanding of skills trends and future competence requirements across the tourism sector, while the WatchTower was intended to add a more operational, enterprise-oriented layer of analysis. The methodological distinction between the two instruments therefore lies primarily in their level of analysis. The TNA provided the strategic and sectoral context, whereas the WatchTower was designed to support the collection and interpretation of more specific information concerning workforce skills gaps, training practices and emerging competence needs among tourism SMEs. This distinction is explicitly reflected in the methodology prepared for Task 5.2.
The initial evidence review resulted in the identification of five principal thematic domains that subsequently became the analytical backbone of the WatchTower. The first domain concerned digital skills and technology adoption, including the use of digital platforms, data, digital customer interfaces and technology-enabled tourism services. The second addressed green and sustainability competences, with particular attention to responsible tourism, environmental management, resource efficiency and circular-economy practices. A third domain focused on customer-service excellence and intercultural communication, reflecting the importance of service quality and communication in increasingly international tourism environments. Leadership, management and entrepreneurial skills constituted a fourth area, recognising the need for tourism enterprises to strengthen organisational adaptability, staff management and business innovation. Finally, the analysis highlighted growing demand for competences related to emerging technologies, notably artificial intelligence, Smart Tourism applications and automation.
These thematic domains were not treated merely as broad categories for discussion. They were translated into the structure of the survey instrument, the definition of indicators and the organisation of the platform’s analytical and reporting environment. In this way, the initial evidence collection created a direct methodological link between external research, enterprise-level inquiry and the subsequent analytical architecture of the WatchTower. The five domains therefore represent one of the principal initial results of Task 5.2: they constitute a structured synthesis of the areas in which the consortium identified the strongest need for continued skills observation and evidence-based intervention.
The significance of this approach lies in the fact that the WatchTower was designed as a cumulative intelligence mechanism rather than as a single research exercise. Its evidence base is intended to evolve through the incorporation of enterprise responses, stakeholder knowledge, regional labour-market information and relevant secondary research. The initial review therefore established both the conceptual foundation and the common taxonomy required for future data collection, comparison and interpretation.
Source basis: TOUR-X Final Technical Report, Task 5.2; D5.2 WatchTower Methodology; TOUR-X Description of Action.