Successful ingredients in tourism | Mudar para Melhor

Talent and creativity are key ingredients for tourism success and the Hotel and Tourism School of Oeste is an excellent example of that. It was with one foot in Caldas da Rainha and another in Óbidos that the third season of the series Mudar para Melhor (Changing for Better) began, with the support of the Portuguese Tourism Schools. Fátima Lopes, our hostess, starts this discovery about the world of training, in what is one of the strategic sectors of the national economy, with a visit to the school that is considered a reference when looking for a specialization in pastry. But that's not all! The recording of this episode takes place, by a happy coincidence, in the days when the first edition of the national literary pastry contest - entitled "Once upon a Pastry" - starts. An event that reveals how rich the creative dynamic between the students, the school and the surrounding community is. If the International Chocolate Festival of Óbidos inspired the foundation of the school and the training in the art of chocolatry in this region, the Literary Festival Folio and the Spa of Caldas da Rainha have stimulated the creation of new training offers. For example, the courses in Literary Tourism and Health and Well-being Tourism. But innovation doesn't stop here. The Hotel and Tourism School of Oeste is also pioneer in an advanced course of Bakery, unique in the country. A universe of career opportunities in a sector that is facing a labor crisis, which Fátima Lopes makes known through several life stories. From the young José Melo, who dreams of conquering a Michelin star for Portuguese pastry, and Vitor Nascimento, an entrepreneur who left a life linked to logistics in Brazil to invest in Portugal in a career with the hat of a pastry chef. It is then in Sintra that Fátima Lopes goes to meet Liliana Ferreira. One of the students who inaugurated the Health and Wellness course and who not only shares the experience of this apprenticeship, but also highlights the importance of talent in the tourism sector.