The 2.5 million euros in support, taken from the Turismo de Portugal budget, for the creation of a “migrant and refugee integration programme”, as announced by the Government as part of the presentation of the Accelerate the Economy plan, will enable 1,000 people to be trained in its first phase, according to an estimate given by an official source from the Ministry of Economy to the Público newspaper.

Without giving any dates, the same source states that the “training of 1,000 immigrants” will involve “using the network of hotel and tourism schools of Turismo de Portugal” and “subsequently completing an internship at one of the tourism companies that join the programme”. However, while “the availability and frequency of the training by the immigrants will be paid for by Turismo de Portugal”, the internship “will be paid for by the companies”.

The program, presented by the Executive on July 4, aims to “welcome professionals, or non-professionals, for a training-integration project, aiming to contribute to improving the integration conditions of refugees and migrants in Portugal”, and to prepare them to enter the tourism sector. The objectives of this plan also include the development of “strategic partnerships for the qualification and integration of young people” in the countries of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).