The Metropolitan University organized the Kick-off Meeting of the Smart Tourism Academy project between 23 and 25 November 2025.

The SMART Tourism Academy is a joint European initiative of Budapest Metropolitan University and partner universities from Slovakia, Italy, Latvia, Czechia, Poland, Cyprus and Slovenia. The project is co funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme as “Cooperative Partnerships in the Higher Education Sector”. The partners work together to rethink how tourism education can become smarter, greener and more human centred.

At the kick off event hosted at Budapest Metropolitan University, speakers presented smart destination strategies, good practices from green hotels and spas, and the role of responsible and ethical guest service in contemporary tourism. The programme also highlighted METU’s myBrand methodology, where students build portfolios through real projects, reflection and close cooperation with industry. Within the SMART Tourism Academy, the partner institutions will develop an online learning platform, a community hub and an entrepreneurship hub that support sustainable and innovative tourism solutions in line with the EU Green Deal and changing labour market needs.

In the next phase, the partner universities will join forces, co create teaching materials and invite students into international project teams that work directly with tourism businesses and destinations. The consortium will open the SMART Tourism Academy platform and hubs to industry partners and municipalities so they can test green and smart tourism solutions together with students and staff. Through these concrete activities, the initiative aims to generate visible improvements in tourism education, support innovative projects on the ground and build a functioning European network for sustainability driven tourism and hospitality practice.