Organized by TNews and the Nova SBE Westmont Institute of Tourism & Hospitality, the Tourism Leaders Conference & Awards is a Portugal-focused event bringing the tourism industry together around a single, dedicated theme. In its 5th edition, in 2026, the Nova SBE Westmont Institute of Tourism & Hospitality presented its two signature awards: Woman Leader in Tourism by WiTH and Sustainable Impact by WiTH, celebrating outstanding leadership and commitment to sustainable tourism.
As DEC's Knowledge Partner, the Westmont Institute creates a unique platform where leaders from hospitality and tourism collaborate with executives from banking, healthcare, retail, energy, business services, and other industries to explore the future of Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX).
The initiative bridges sectors that rarely learn from one another, generating new knowledge, developing business case studies, and demonstrating how hospitality principles can inspire more human-centered experiences across organizations.
The NOS Tourism Club is a collaborative platform that brings together leaders and top organizations in Portugal’s tourism and hospitality sector to explore digital transformation, share knowledge and discuss industry challenges. Through private events and knowledge-sharing initiatives, the Club promotes the exchange of best practices and real-world experiences, highlighting how technology can improve business performance, customer experience and employee experience. NOS Tourism Club was founded through partnership between NOS, Nova SBE, NEST (Centro de Inovação para o Turismo em Portugal), and Porto Business School.
A leadership development initiative bringing together women leaders and future leaders in Tourism & Hospitality through mentoring, knowledge sharing and cross-sector collaboration. The initiative is implemented through a partnership with the Nova SBE Leadership for Impact Knowledge Center, and combines mentoring, scientific research and industry engagement to support female leadership and generate actionable insights for the future of the sector. The third edition brought together 60+ leaders from the Portuguese hospitality sector, while the next mentoring cycle is scheduled to launch in March 2027.
Check-In is a 12-week open innovation program that connects late-stage tourism startups with leading hospitality and tourism partners in Portugal to co-create AI-powered solutions and accelerate digital transformation. Since 2021, the program has connected 60+ startups with industry partners, resulting in 50 real-world pilots that have improved operations, guest experiences and competitiveness. Sponsored by Turismo de Portugal, the program is implemented through a partnership with the Nova SBE Haddad Entrepreneurship Institute.
The Nova SBE Hospitality Student Club is Nova SBE's new addition to our community. It was founded in 2020 by students from the Master's in Management who have different backgrounds and common interests. It aims to promote the industry's sustainable growth by placing Hospitality as a key strategic tool for any business plan.
The club also promotes its members' development of individual skills so that they can be prepared to add value to any organization in service-oriented industries while bridging the gap between Nova SBE's academic community and the industry players.
Tourism TIDES brings monthly conversations with innovators and change-makers impacting African tourism through data, creativity, and collaboration.