HRC Culinary Academy Advances Sustainable & Product-Based Tourism Through International Collaboration

HRC Culinary Academy is proud to take an active role in Activity I of the international project dedicated to strengthening the competences of tourism professionals in sustainable, accessible, and product-based tourism. Our contribution focused on developing the Handbook of Practical Solutions for Enhancing the Competences of Tourism Staff, where we collected good practices, prepared proposals for educational materials, and authored the chapter on product-based tourism with a focus on the HORECA sector.

As part of this activity, HRC participated in partner consultations, the methodological workshop, and ongoing coordination throughout the development phase. A key highlight was the study visit in Bulgaria, organised and hosted by our team.

It was a pleasure to welcome our partners from Fundacja Drogowskaz to HRC Culinary Academy. Together, we completed the final stage of the analysis by identifying competence gaps within tourism industry niches, with particular attention to small and medium-sized enterprises. The workshop was based on design thinking methods, allowing us to work collaboratively, creatively, and in a structured way to generate practical solutions.

To demonstrate an example of product-based tourism enriched with elements of well-being, we also organised a short wellness workshop. This final session illustrated how experiences that combine culinary, cultural, and well-being components can offer meaningful value and hold strong potential for development.

This visit strengthened our partnership, brought valuable insights to the project, and reaffirmed our commitment to supporting innovation and professional growth in the tourism and hospitality sector.

You can read more about the initiative here.