ISLA Gaia secured 1st place at the
ICTR 2026 – Teaching Tourism Excellence Award, an international distinction that recognises excellence, innovation and pedagogical impact in the field of Hospitality and Tourism education.
The award was granted for the work presented in the article “Work-Based Learning in Hospitality: Integrating Real Hotel Operations into Tourism and Hospitality Education in Northern Portugal”, authored by lecturers Ricardo Lanção, Mónica Santos and Susanne Graaf, highlighting the quality of the pedagogical work developed at ISLA Gaia and its commitment to innovative teaching methodologies closely linked to professional practice.
This international recognition also underlines the importance of institutional and corporate partnerships in creating more authentic, relevant and transformative learning experiences for students.
ISLA Gaia extends its sincere thanks to Dr Anabela Morado and the hotel chain of the Hotusa Group, whose collaboration was fundamental to the implementation of this project. An achievement that brings distinction to our lecturers, strengthens the role of our partners, and honours the entire academic community of ISLA Gaia.
