Equality in Tourism Joins FUTOURWORK Partners in Lisbon to Shape Project’s Next Phase

From 20 to 22 October, Equality in Tourism joined partners from across Europe at Lusófona University for FUTOURWORK’s third consortium meeting.

Over three days of work, sharing and reflection, the team reviewed early research findings and planned how the project will share its evidence and resources in the coming year.

Running from January 2025 to June 2028, FUTOURWORK is a Horizon Europe-funded research project working towards a fairer, more inclusive tourism and hospitality sector with a focus on its most marginalised workers – particularly women, young people and migrants. Coordinated by the University of Westminster, it brings together academic and non-profit partners from six countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the UK.

Equality in Tourism leads the project’s dissemination and communication, drawing on our expertise in advocacy, tourism development and making academic research accessible.

Progressing Research on Tourism, Social Dialogue and Worker Wellbeing

Sessions covered every work package in the project and were an important opportunity to review progress towards deliverables.

Discussions and activities ranged from developing the project’s in-depth literature review and preliminary analysis of the worker survey and stakeholder interviews, to new research on who bears the costs of change in the sector. Partners also agreed next steps towards delivering our database of collective agreements, wellbeing index and benchmarking tool, and accessible legal handbooks for workers.

In a session led by Equality in Tourism, partners developed a programme of events for 2027 and 2028, which includes public screenings of our documentary across the six project countries and a final conference in Brussels. A series of stakeholder dialogue meetings bringing together social partners, industry and policymakers at the European and national levels are also on the agenda for next year.

Collaboration in Lisbon

The Lusófona University team gave partners a warm welcome to Lisbon and ensured a productive environment throughout our stay.

Mafalda Patuleia, head of the department of tourism at Lusófona University, said: “Hosting the FUTOURWORK consortium meeting reminded us why this project matters: behind every tourism experience are people whose wellbeing shapes the quality of everything we offer.

“By helping to strengthen dialogue between workers and employers, we are building the foundations for healthier, fairer workplaces in tourism and hospitality.”

Beyond the meeting room, the Lusófona team organised a walking tour of Lisbon and a dinner at the emblematic Casa do Alentejo. It was a reminder that building healthy work environments also means cultivating good relationships and shared experiences.

Join the FUTOURWORK mailing list or follow the project on LinkedIn to stay up to date with all the research and events.