Background information

Regulation 1469-A/2024 establishes and regulates the Training and Integration Programme for Migrants and Beneficiaries of International Protection in the Tourism Sector, abbreviated to ‘Integrate for Tourism’, which aims to equip participants with personal, social and professional skills that will enable them to work in tourism, hotel and restaurant companies.

This initiative is part of the 60 measures of the Accelerating the Economy Programme and is the result of a partnership between Turismo de Portugal, the Hotel and Tourism Schools Network, AIMA (Migration and Asylum Integration Agency) and the Portuguese Tourism Confederation (CTP).

Content of measure

The Programme's main objective is to offer qualification and employment opportunities to migrants and beneficiaries of international protection, through technical training and practical internships in companies active in the tourism sector in Portugal mainland.

The programme is aimed at migrants and beneficiaries of international protection meeting the following conditions:

• over 18 years of age;
• having a regularised status in Portugal;
• with a habitual residence in the country;
• having a regularised tax situation;
• being able to express themselves in Portuguese or English.

The programme offers participants technical training in the areas of tourism, hotels and restaurants, at the Hotel and Tourism Schools. In addition, an integrated internship will be provided, allowing practical learning in the context of companies in the sector, facilitating the participants' integration into the labour market.

The programme covers the following types of support:

• Support to be provided by Turismo de Portugal during the training period at Hotel and Tourism Schools: i) training grant, awarded monthly during the three months of training and equivalent to one IAS per month; ii) food in kind, awarded on the days of training at the school; iii) transport allowance, awarded only if necessary, through reimbursement of the amount paid by the participant, up to a maximum of 30% of the Social Support Index (IAS – Indexante dos Apoios Sociais); iv) support for purchasing uniforms, depending on the area of technical training, amounting up to a maximum of €75 per participant; v) personal accident insurance, for the entire duration of the programme (training at school and training in the company, in a work context).

• Financial support to be provided by the participating companies during the period of work-based training: i) internship grant, awarded during the month of work-based training, for a minimum amount equivalent to one IAS per month; ii) food in kind or food allowance, during the period of practical work-based training or iii) accommodation or accommodation grant in duly justified cases; iv) transport or transport allowance, to be awarded during the period of in-company training, if the internship site does not have public transport.

In addition, the programme includes personalised support for around 1,000 immigrants, aiming to ensure that everyone can benefit from qualified training and successful integration.

The programme has a total budget of 2.5 million euros from Turismo de Portugal.

The programme began in December 2024, with the first edition running until the end of 2025, and, depending on its results, might have new editions in the following years.

Use of measure

No information is yet available on the use of the measure.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Migrants or refugees in employment	Does not apply to businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Employers' organisations	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Not applicable	Direct consultation outside a formal body

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Only employers' organisations
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

This is a project run by Turismo de Portugal, the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) and the Portuguese Tourism Confederation (Confederação do Turismo de Portugal, CTP).

Business associations in the tourism, hotel, and catering sub-sectors are active partners in the programme and will promote it among their members. Companies within these sectors will also participate by providing practical training opportunities, such as internships, to ensure that the training takes place in a real work environment. This collaboration will facilitate the smooth integration of participants into the labour market.

Views and reactions

Francisco Calheiros, President of the Portuguese Tourism Confederation (Confederação do Turismo de Portugal, CTP), emphasises that "CTP has defended inclusion policies for migrants who come to our country to work, which naturally include the training and qualification of citizens. Tourism, a strategic sector of our economy with a high need for labour, has to invest in training these migrants in order to promote their full integration and, at the same time, ensure the supply and quality that have allowed tourism to grow sustainably.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 18 December 2024: Programa de Formação e Integração de Migrantes no Setor do Turism (www.turismodeportugal.pt)
• 19 December 2024: Lançado Programa Integrar para o Turismo para qualificação de migrante (www.portugal.gov.pt)
• 20 December 2024: Regulamento n.º 1469-A/202 (diariodarepublica.pt)