The newly created Tourism Management course will be taught in English and will “respond to the record number of international applications” that arrived at that school, highlighted Turismo de Portugal in a statement from the educational establishment located in Faro.

The course is one of EHTA's training options for the 2024/2025 academic year, along with the professional Pastry/Bakery Technician course, the only one in the Algarve, according to the school, and the after-work course in Kitchen Management and Production.

“The Algarve Hotel and Tourism School has never received as many international applications as those that occurred during the special regime phase, which took place last April and was dedicated to young people not resident in Portugal or the European Union”, said the EHTA.

The professional training school in the field of tourism highlighted that “close to four hundred foreign students, from 23 nationalities, applied”, with the majority opting for the Tourism Management course, which will be “taught entirely in English”.

Among the candidates' countries of origin are Nigeria, Burundi, Rwanda, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Gambia, Nepal or Liberia, listed by the EHTA and Turismo de Portugal, which oversees hotel management schools in Portugal.

“For the various courses taught in Portuguese, Angola leads the list of PALOP countries [African Portuguese Speaking Countries] with the most applications under this special regime, followed by Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and Brazil”.

Success

The EHTA considered that among the main factors in attracting foreign students to its training offer is the “success achieved by former international students” who attended courses at the Algarve school.

“The best ambassadors are, without a doubt, our international alumni. A high percentage successfully completes training at our school and goes on to work in Portugal. In fact, the majority get a job right away at the company where they completed their internship”, stated Maria Eduarda Freitas, from the EHTA National and International Applications Department, cited in the note.

In addition to the former foreign students who remain in Portugal to work, when they finish the course, there are also former international students who returned to their origins “more qualified and prepared to contribute to the development of their countries in the area of Tourism”, she added.

“As for national students, the first phase of applications is now open and runs until June 18th (for professional courses, post-9th year) and July 16th (for post-12th year courses)”, the EHTA also announced, which combines the professional Pastry/Bakery Technician course with the traditional training offer in Kitchen, Pastry, Restaurant and Bar.

The Algarve Hotel and Tourism School, located in Faro, is one of 12 in Portugal and has 189 places for courses in the areas of Cuisine, Pastry, Restaurants and Beverages, Hotel/Accommodation and Tourism Management.