The UB Chair of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy CETT
The UB Chair of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy CETT is a joint initiative of the University of Barcelona, CETT Barcelona School of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy, and the CETT Foundation.
Created in 2015, the Chair is a pioneer in its structure and subject and has the support of the Barcelona City Council, through a collaboration agreement with the Tourism Department. Since then and over three political mandates, it has been working to promote the academic positioning of the city in the fields of tourism, hospitality and gastronomy and to achieve a position of international leadership.
Thus, focusing on urban tourism through several transversal lines of research, the Chair aims to promote three areas of action: research, knowledge transfer and dissemination activities in the fields of tourism, hospitality and gastronomy, through collaboration between public institutions, the private sector and academia.
Regarding research activities, the Chair leads and participates in research contracts and research agreements with public agents, such as the Barcelona City Council or the Barcelona Provincial Council; public-private entities, such as Barcelona Tourism; and companies and other research institutions in the food sector, such as Argal, Organa or the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA). The Chair's team also contributes to the dissemination of the results of these projects, through the publication of scientific articles in indexed journals and the publication of chapters and books in leading publishers.
Regarding transfer actions, the Chair organizes and co-organizes with international academic partners, several congresses of relevant topics for urban tourism, such as the CETT Smart Tourism Congress Barcelona, the International Conference on Literary and Film Tourism or the Congreso Latinoamericano de Investigació en Hotelería y Restauración.
In addition, the Chair also organizes technical knowledge transfer conferences, such as the CETT Seminars in Contemporary Issues in Tourism or the Trobada Gastronòmica. Finally, among the informative activities, the organization and participation in the Esmorzars de Turisme, together with Foment del Treball.
Lines of Research
The Chair's current lines of research are:
Urban Tourism
In an increasingly interconnected world, cities face complex challenges related to tourism and its relationship with society and the economy.
Applied research in the field of urban tourism focuses, on the one hand, on the evaluation of the impacts of tourism on the territory and on the exploitation of local resources, focusing on identifying new opportunities to develop alternative tourism products and services that promote competitiveness and authenticity. Thus, for example, it focuses on new tourism and the territory, emphasizing the management of visitor flows, their redistribution and the diversification of experiences at destinations.
On the other hand, conflicts of interest among the sector's agents make it necessary to reflect on inclusion and citizen participation, the welfare of resident communities or formulas for informed decision making. Therefore, the research line on governance and society addresses policies, regulatory frameworks and various actions to promote responsible and sustainable tourism and to promote cooperation between the different actors involved in tourism, including local governments, businesses, civil society organizations and resident communities.
Cuisine and Gastronomy
Research in the field of cusine and gastronomy is currently focused on the valorization of food waste, transforming it into ingredients or end products that can be reintroduced into the food chain. This line is part of the context of food waste in the food service sector, which is responsible for the emission of between 8 and 10% of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Thus, the gastronomic upcycling strategy is aimed at reducing food waste, while contributing to the sustainability of the food system and generating new innovative food products capable of enriching our diet.
The intersection between gastronomy and health is another interesting field of opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, gastronomy can help reconnect people with food, making healthier and more nutritious choices and, on the other hand, personalized food needs mean that gastronomy has to adapt to this diversity by developing functional foods that combine health benefits with favorable organoleptic characteristics. Thus, applied research in gastronomy is oriented towards the recovery of local foods, and the optimization of their nutritional components, contributing to health and well-being.
Contact and Collaboration
The UB Chair of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy CETT offers the opportunity to companies or institutions to establish significant collaborations for the joint development of a wide range of research, transfer and dissemination actions:
- Realization of knowledge transfer projects
- Organization of conferences / congresses aligned with shared areas of interest.
- Publication of academic and dissemination articles in collaboration with CETT research groups.
- Promotion of undergraduate (TFG) and master's degree (TFM) final projects to the company within the framework of specific projects.
Through these synergies, the Chair aims to foster mutual growth and innovation in both academia and the business sector.
For more information on collaboration with the Chair, please contact:
- Eugeni Osácar, director of the UB - CETT Chair: e.osacar@cett.cat
- Nuria Guitart, coordinator of the UB - CETT Chair: nuria.guitart@cett.cat