Human Capital Management in the Tourism Industry in Portugal

Although there is a sustained and sustainable consumption and use of resources underlying it, tourist visitation always has a strong human component. Competitiveness in the tourism industry requires professionals with a set of skills integrated in the domain of “knowing how to do” and “knowing how to be.” Portugal has extraordinary tourism resources and potential on which a relevant activity with a growing weight in the country's economy is being developed. Therefore, there are many challenges in order to ensure a competitive and high-quality tourism offer, being the dynamizing and mobilizing core of the country's economic and social sectors. In 2017, Portugal registered a record number of 20.6 million tourists, according to CIP data. For this reality to have a sustained term growth, it depends on the possibility of companies “driven” by knowledge to access highly skilled human resources familiar with new technological developments. This chapter explores human capital management in the tourism industry in Portugal.