RIT’s Participation in the 13th International IACuDiT Conference 2026
The research team of RIT participated in the 13th International IACuDiT Conference (International Association of Cultural and Digital Tourism), held on the island of Lesvos from 1–3 September 2026, under the theme “Tourism in the Age of Transformation: Insights from the Social Sciences”.
IACuDiT 2026 – Conference Website
Professor George Petrakos chaired the main session of the second day of the conference, during which two academic papers were presented, focusing on Sustainability and Employment in Greek hotels.
The first paper, presented by Ms Stavroula Athanasakopoulou, addressed the social dimension of Sustainability, focusing on the interaction between hotels and the local community and its importance both for the local economy and development and for the preservation and promotion of the wider area’s environmental and cultural heritage.
The second paper, presented by Ms Sofia Panousi, focused on labour shortages in Greek hotels over the past five years. It presented the Institute’s findings on the occupations, skills and hotel departments facing significant challenges, in both absolute numbers and percentages. The analysis of the findings led to particularly interesting conclusions and provides a basis for future actions and initiatives in the sector.
Both academic papers were based on data drawn from RIT’s annual Sustainability and Employment surveys, conducted under the auspices and with the support of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels.
Relevant documents
The RIT Sustainability (ESG) Survey of Greek hotels aims to assess the degree of adoption and readiness of the hotel sector with regard to ESG principles (Environmental, Social and Governance). Through the collection of primary data, the survey records existing practices, identifies the main challenges and highlights opportunities for the further integration of sustainability into hotel operations. Based on data from the 2025 ESG Survey, the academic paper “Mapping the Social Dimension of ESG in Hospitality: The Integration of Hotels into Local Economies and Communities” was presented at the IACuDiT 2026 – International Conference on Cultural and Digital Tourism. The analysis examines hotels’ collaboration with local producers, the provision of information to guests, employee training and CSR activities, as well as the extent to which these practices are combined to form distinct hotel profiles.
At the IACuDiT 2026 – 13th International Conference on Cultural and Digital Tourism, the academic paper “Measuring Staff Shortages and the Socioeconomic Impact in the Hotel Sector” was presented, based on the findings of RIT’s annual surveys on staff shortages in the Greek hotel sector over the past five years. The findings show that staff shortages remained at high levels throughout the 2021–2024 period, while a relative easing was observed in 2025. The distribution of shortages was not uniform, varying by hotel category, operating model and size, as well as by department and employee occupation. Additional statistical tests highlighted the statistical significance of the differences observed across the various hotel classifications, indicating that shortages mainly affect positions directly related to guest service and hotel operations. At the same time, the analysis highlights the broader macroeconomic implications of staff shortages, as unfilled vacancies create idle productive capacity, limiting the hotel sector’s potential contribution to overall output, employment and value added.
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