In the process of professionalising Moldova’s tourism sector, 2026 marks a structural turning point. After years of fragmented initiatives, project-based interventions, and promotion-driven approaches, tourism is entering a new phase—one defined by governance, skills development, and coordinated institutional frameworks.
At the core of this transition stands the National Tourism Platform (Platforma Națională pentru Turism), developed as a Regional Skills Partnership (RSP) Platform in line with the European Union’s Pact for Skills – Tourism Ecosystem. This is not a rebranding exercise, but a fundamental shift in how tourism policy is designed and implemented in the Republic of Moldova.
From Representation to System Architecture
For a long time, Moldova’s tourism sector operated through organizations focused mainly on representation, promotion, or individual projects. While these efforts generated visibility, they lacked the capacity to build long-term competitiveness, workforce resilience, and institutional continuity.
The consolidation of the National Tourism Platform, facilitated by the Employers’ Association of the Tourism Industry of the Republic of Moldova (APIT), marks a deliberate move away from fragmented action toward ecosystem governance.
The Platform does not replace existing actors. Instead, it functions as a coordination mechanism, providing structure, predictability, and shared ownership among public authorities, industry, education institutions, civil society, and regional stakeholders.
Why Regional Skills Partnerships Matter
The Regional Skills Partnership model promoted at EU level is based on a simple but powerful premise:
tourism competitiveness depends on skills alignment.
This means aligning:
- labour market needs,
- education and training systems,
- regional development priorities,
- public policy objectives,
- and private sector demand.
By adopting this model, Moldova positions the National Tourism Platform as:
- a space for co-creation of sectoral policies;
- a mechanism for anticipating skills needs;
- a bridge between regions and national decision-making;
- and an operational interface with European programmes, including Erasmus+.
This represents a shift from reactive policymaking to strategic workforce planning.
APIT’s Role as a Backbone Organisation
Within this framework, APIT assumes the role of a backbone organisation—a concept widely used in European policy ecosystems to describe entities that:
- ensure continuity of processes;
- facilitate dialogue among diverse stakeholders;
- translate consultations into structured outcomes;
- and uphold agreed governance principles.
This approach moves the sector beyond personality-driven leadership and ad hoc initiatives toward collective governance and shared responsibility, in line with EU standards.
Regions as Co-Creators, Not Beneficiaries
A defining feature of the Regional Skills Partnership approach is the active inclusion of regions. Tourism development is no longer viewed through a capital-centric lens, but as a network of interconnected regional ecosystems.
Regions such as Gagauzia, rural areas, and destinations with distinct cultural identities are integrated as:
- contributors to skills development;
- co-designers of tourism products;
- partners in vocational education and training;
- and active participants in national and European dialogue.
This strengthens territorial cohesion and increases the sector’s resilience.
What Professionalisation Means in Practice
By operating as a Regional Skills Partnership Platform, Moldova’s tourism sector moves:
- from isolated projects to continuous processes;
- from promotion-first logic to capacity building;
- from short-term visibility to long-term competitiveness;
- from dependency on external funding to institutional maturity.
Professionalisation is no longer measured solely by visitor numbers, but by the sector’s ability to self-organise, develop its workforce, and deliver consistent quality.
A Structural, Not Symbolic Reform
The National Tourism Platform, developed as a Regional Skills Partnership Platform, represents one of the most significant—yet understated—reforms in Moldova’s tourism sector.
Its impact will not be reflected in immediate headlines or record-breaking statistics, but in outcomes that are more durable:
- a skilled workforce;
- stronger regions;
- institutional coherence;
- and meaningful European integration.
If you want, I can also:
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