Participation of the HMU Rector in the Rethymno Tourism Summit 2026

The Rector of Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), Professor Nektarios Papadogiannis, participated on Monday, October 26, 2026, in the Rethymno Tourism Summit 2026 – “Next Destination: Crete”, held at the Theartemis Palace Conference Center in Rethymno.

The HMU Rector participated in Panel 3, entitled “From University to the Market: Knowledge as a Driving Force for Tourism in Crete”, alongside Professor Georgios Stamatopoulos, Vice-Rector for Finance and Infrastructure at the University of Crete, and Despoina Gavrili-Alexandri, Coordinator of the International Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at The American College of Greece. The discussion was moderated by Antigoni Andreadaki, Director of Communications and Public Relations at the Karatzis Group and journalist.

The discussion focused on the role of university education, research and links with the labor market in developing the human capital required by the modern tourism sector. The HMU Rector emphasized that Crete’s development potential must be linked to investment in knowledge, new skills and innovation, as well as to stronger cooperation between universities and businesses.

Knowledge, innovation and cooperation as foundations for the future of tourism in Crete

Referring to the prospects of tourism in Crete and the conditions required for a sustainable development model, the HMU Rector noted:

Crete stands before a major development opportunity, but also a critical choice concerning the future of its tourism sector. New hotel investments, the Northern Road Axis of Crete and the new international airport at Kastelli are creating the conditions for a new period of growth. However, infrastructure and increased capacity alone do not guarantee a better tourism model.

The key question is how this growth can be transformed into greater added value, better jobs, stronger local businesses and tangible benefits for Cretan society. Most importantly, how can we ensure that this development goes hand in hand with the protection of the natural environment and the rational management of natural resources?

In this context, I believe that investment in knowledge is perhaps the most critical development action for tourism. The quality of the tourism product depends on the people who design, promote and deliver it, on the technology businesses use, on the effectiveness of management, and on our ability to address challenges such as seasonality, energy management, water management and the constantly changing expectations of visitors.

This is precisely where universities have a vital role to play. Their role is not limited to educating tomorrow’s professionals. It also includes generating new knowledge, conducting applied research, developing practical technological solutions and formulating evidence-based proposals for the future of the region.

For Hellenic Mediterranean University, this perspective is particularly important, as the University encompasses a broad range of academic disciplines that can work together across the entire tourism value chain: from Agriculture and Nutrition, Business Administration and Informatics, to Engineering, energy, the environment, Health Sciences, as well as Music Technology and Acoustics.

This, of course, requires a meaningful relationship with the business community: universities must understand the real needs of the market, while businesses must make use of scientific knowledge as an investment in their competitiveness, through programs that deliver measurable results.

My position is that it is not enough to prepare education for the tourism sector we have today. We must work together to shape the tourism sector we want Crete to have tomorrow: one that is higher in quality, more productive, more sustainable and delivers greater benefits to society.

From traditional hospitality skills to the new demands of tourism

Referring to tourism businesses’ need for specialized human capital, the Rector identified three main dimensions of the existing skills gap:

I would say that the gap has three dimensions: the mismatch of skills, the difficulty of connecting education with the day-to-day operations of businesses, and the challenge of retaining human resources in the sector.

Modern tourism now requires much more than traditional hospitality skills. It needs professionals who understand business management, revenue management, the use of digital data and applications, the needs of different markets and the principles of sustainability. It also requires professionals with leadership, communication and team-management skills.

The issue, however, is not solely educational. Seasonality, working conditions and limited opportunities for professional development affect the attractiveness of tourism as a long-term career choice. Addressing staff shortages therefore requires cooperation between educational institutions and businesses, as well as meaningful investment in the quality of employment and the benefits generated for society.

At Hellenic Mediterranean University, we believe that the answer cannot be limited to producing more graduates in specific fields. We need to make interdisciplinary use of our capabilities. Business Administration and Tourism, as well as Management Science and Technology, can contribute to modernizing management and business processes. Informatics can support the digital transition, while Agriculture and Nutrition and Dietetics can strengthen the link between hospitality, local production and gastronomy.

The major challenge is to move from simply filling vacant positions to the systematic development of highly skilled human capital with interdisciplinary competencies, opportunities for professional development and the ability to make a meaningful contribution to the sector’s productivity.

Joint planning and clear objectives for a meaningful link between education and the labor market

Referring to internships, applied research and the development of stable links between universities and businesses, the Rector emphasized:

A meaningful connection between higher education and the labor market cannot be achieved simply by signing agreements or offering a period of internship. It requires joint planning, clear educational objectives and evaluation of outcomes. An internship should provide students with genuine experience, structured guidance and participation in specific business operations. Businesses, for their part, should view students as young people worth investing in, rather than simply as temporary staff assigned routine tasks.

Similarly, applied research must begin with real-world problems.

A hotel, for example, can collaborate with university researchers to reduce energy consumption, improve water management, use data to forecast demand or develop new services. Cooperation may also involve connecting hotels with local producers, improving nutritional quality and highlighting the cultural identity of the destination.

HMU, as well as the other universities of Crete, has the capacity to address such issues by combining different academic disciplines.

Centers for Education and Life Long Learning also constitute an important tool. Through them, university knowledge can reach not only recent graduates, but also employees and executives who need to continuously update their skills. HMU already has relevant examples, such as the “Revenue Ready: Theory & Practice” program, developed in cooperation with RevitUp.direct.

What we therefore need is a stable framework of cooperation in which businesses identify their needs, universities contribute scientific solutions, and students actively participate in their implementation. Success should be measured by the skills acquired, the solutions implemented and the real value created for the local economy.

Transforming education for the tourism sector of tomorrow

Referring to the changes brought about in the tourism sector by Artificial Intelligence, digitalization and the green transition, the Rector emphasized that the most significant change does not concern only the emergence of new skills, but primarily the transformation of the content of many existing fields of knowledge and professional roles:

In the field of management, data analysis, revenue management, digital communication, process automation and the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence are rapidly becoming increasingly important. Employees will need not only technical knowledge, but also the ability to evaluate information, make decisions and preserve the human dimension of hospitality.

At the same time, climate change and growing pressure on natural resources make skills related to energy efficiency, water management, the circular economy and the measurement of environmental impact increasingly critical. For Crete, these are not abstract environmental priorities. They are directly linked to businesses’ operating costs, the resilience of tourism destinations in the face of environmental degradation, and the ability to maintain the quality of the tourism product.

I also see considerable further potential in developing services that connect tourism with gastronomy, the local agri-food sector, culture and wellness. These directions can strengthen product differentiation and create stronger links with the local economy, provided that they are supported by scientific evidence and appropriate infrastructure.

As regards the readiness of education, we have significant scientific capabilities. The challenge is to update curricula more frequently, strengthen interdisciplinarity and offer flexible lifelong learning pathways in cooperation with businesses.

HMU can contribute precisely because it brings together academic fields that are often treated separately: management and technology, engineering and energy, agriculture and nutrition, health and culture.

We cannot predict with certainty every profession that will emerge over the next five years. We can, however, develop people with strong foundations, digital skills and adaptability, as well as businesses that use innovation to become more productive and more sustainable.