Institute of Hospitality Expands International Network: IoH Mediterranean Region Launched, Led by Maltese Dr Julian Zarb
The Institute of Hospitality (IoH), the global professional body for managers and aspiring managers in the hospitality, tourism, and leisure industries, has launched a new international region called
IoH Mediterranean. According to the Institute's official announcement, this is an organizational step forward aimed at strengthening local support for professionals in Southern Europe and the wider Mediterranean area, where tourism and hospitality have a major impact on national economies and employment.
Dr Julian Zarb from Malta, a long-standing member of the Institute with the professional title of Fellow (FIH), has been appointed as the Regional Chair. The IoH states that Zarb brings a combination of academic and practical experience in tourism, and he sees the new mandate as an opportunity to connect different hospitality cultures, markets, and career paths in the region.
A New Regional Stronghold for Southern Europe – and Members in Croatia
IoH Mediterranean, as reported, has been established alongside existing regional structures in the United Kingdom and the Institute's international network. The goal is to provide members with access to local networking, professional development, and industry activities, while maintaining a connection to the Institute's global resources and its professional community.
Initially, the region covers more than 180 members from a range of countries forming the Mediterranean and Southern European arc. These include
Croatia as well as neighboring and partner tourism countries: Albania, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. The role of the region, according to the Institute, is not to create another formal framework, but to build a platform where professionals can connect around specific local priorities – from raising standards to skill development.
Why Now: Tourism Growth, but Also Growing Pressures on the Sector
The launch of IoH Mediterranean comes at a time when European tourism is returning to record levels. According to Eurostat, in 2024, the European Union recorded more than three billion overnight stays in tourist accommodation for the first time, a heralded milestone following the post-pandemic recovery. Such volumes confirm the economic weight of the sector but simultaneously increase pressure on the workforce, service quality, infrastructure, and destination sustainability.
In Southern Europe, this pressure is particularly felt due to pronounced seasonality. Hotels, campsites, restaurants, and transport providers often need to hire a large number of people in a short time during the peak season, ensure training, align safety and quality standards, and meet the expectations of increasingly demanding guests. The IoH states in its announcement that many professionals in the region have been working for years in circumstances marked by challenges in skill development, recruitment, and workforce stability, especially in destinations heavily shaped by seasonal tourism.
In discussions about the tourism "comeback," the concept of destination overcrowding is increasingly present. In major cities and the most visited island and coastal areas, the growth in visitor numbers also brings questions of housing affordability, short-term rental management, pressure on local resources, and the preservation of community identity. This is precisely why part of the profession is increasingly calling for a shift from merely increasing arrival numbers to a model that rewards quality, management, and responsible planning.
What the Region Can Change: Standards, Careers, and Cross-Border Cooperation
The IoH emphasizes that the new region is based on the idea of
practical connections among members and strengthening professionalism "on the ground." In practice, this can mean better networking between managers and educators, the exchange of experiences between markets facing similar problems, and greater visibility of good practices – from season and staff management to the development of new tourism products.
One of the key elements mentioned is the connection of local activities with the Institute's global resources, including continuous professional development and access to expert materials. The IoH highlights that IoH Mediterranean activities will be shaped around local priorities, supported by professional industry standards and the concept of lifelong learning, to support career development throughout the region.
For countries like Croatia, whose economy relies heavily on the tourist season, such a framework can be useful on several levels:
- facilitating the connection of hoteliers, restaurateurs, and tourism managers with colleagues from comparable destinations
- opening space for joint education and skill development programs, especially in segments where the market shortage is most pronounced
- strengthening professional mobility and the recognition of competencies, which is important in an environment where workers often cross borders for seasonal work
- offering a channel for discussion on quality and management standards in tourism, at a time when a more sustainable growth model is increasingly sought
Messages from IoH Leadership: "Local Access, Global Belonging"
The Institute's CEO, Robert Richardson, emphasizes in the launch announcement that the regional structure is important for how the IoH supports members worldwide. As he noted, the new region should provide "local access" to an industry that employs tens of millions of people in the new area, while remaining within the framework of the Institute's global professional community. The IoH particularly emphasizes the role of the volunteer committee and local leadership, as regions are led directly through member engagement.
Richardson's message can also be read as a response to the real need for professional support to take place not only "from the center" but also through local networks that understand market specificities – from languages and educational systems to seasonal cycles and employer structures. In Mediterranean countries, where small and medium-sized enterprises dominate, such mechanisms often determine whether knowledge and standards will actually be applied in daily work.
Who is Dr Julian Zarb and What Does the Role of Regional Chair Bring
In presenting the Regional Chair, the IoH states that Dr Julian Zarb has many years of experience in tourism and an academic career linked to research and lecturing. The official announcement highlights that he was a visiting senior lecturer at the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture at the University of Malta for fifteen years, and is a management lecturer at the University of Wales Trinity St David in the United Kingdom. Additionally, his engagement as a lecturer at Malita International College in Malta in the field of hospitality and tourism is mentioned, as well as his portfolio of academic papers related to
community tourism.
In a statement on his appointment, Zarb says he is delighted to lead a region that brings together a wide range of cultures, economies, and professional experiences. He emphasizes that the idea is to establish practical links among members, support professionalism at the local level, and create a platform for sharing knowledge, experience, and good practices across borders. He adds that the regional committee, along with the IoH team, aims to become active as soon as possible.
Such an emphasis on "practical connections" is particularly relevant for Mediterranean destinations where trends and challenges often spill over from one country to another: from managing mass arrivals to developing offers outside the summer months, from service digitalization to adapting to climate risks that change travel patterns.
Workforce as a Key Challenge: From Candidate Shortage to Skill Development
One of the reasons the IoH emphasizes the need for more local support is the state of the labor market. The European Commission, through its "jobs and skills in tourism" framework, warns that staff shortages and recruitment difficulties are widespread, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises. In the same context, the problem of a lack of applicants for open positions is highlighted, which directly affects service quality and business sustainability.
The European hospitality association HOTREC emphasizes similarly, stating in a recent document on skills and labor shortages that the sector is one of the largest employers in the EU and that staff and skill shortages remain a structural challenge, especially in peak seasons. HOTREC points out that on average, the sector is still significantly below the required workforce level, which in practice means that the burden is often shifted to existing employees, with the risk of burnout and turnover.
In this sense, IoH Mediterranean could serve as a channel for sharing solutions already being tested in different countries: from faster training and mentorship programs, through improving working conditions and career paths, to a more systematic connection between education and industry. The question of professional identity is also important – how to build a career from a seasonal "job," which is a topic that some experts in the region have been highlighting for years as a necessary shift in the approach to tourism.
Broader Context: International Travel Recovery and Changing Expectations
In a global framework, UN Tourism announced that 2024 brought a near-return of international arrivals to pre-pandemic levels, with about 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals. Such a recovery is strongly reflected precisely in Europe and the Mediterranean, where the largest source markets and most visited destinations are traditionally concentrated.
However, along with volume, the structure of demand is also changing. Guests increasingly expect faster digital communication, greater price transparency, clearer sustainability policies, and more authentic experiences that do not burden the local community. Managing such changes requires managerial capacities and standards that are not built overnight. This is precisely where professional networks, such as the Institute of Hospitality, try to offer a framework for learning, mutual support, and professional recognition.
How IoH Mediterranean Might Develop
Given the geographical range and diversity of markets, it is realistic to expect that the focus of IoH Mediterranean activities will change depending on the priorities of members and destinations. In countries dominated by resort tourism, the focus may be on season management, workforce, and service quality, while in urban centers, issues of short-term rental regulation, the relationship between tourism and housing, and managing visitor flows will come to the fore.
In any case, the IoH has announced that the region will operate with the support of the central team in London and will rely on a committee of volunteers with industry experience. If the announced directions are realized, IoH Mediterranean could become a place where, along with professional networking, more serious discussions on public policies in tourism open up: from regulation and education to sustainability and adaptation to changes in the environment and market.
Sources:- Institute of Hospitality – official announcement on the launch of the IoH Mediterranean region and the appointment of Dr Julian Zarb ( link )- Eurostat – news on the record number of overnight stays in the EU and tourism trends ( link )- European Commission – "Jobs and skills in tourism" on recruitment challenges and skill shortages in tourism ( link )- HOTREC – position paper on labor and skill shortages in hospitality ( link )- UN Tourism – data on the recovery of international tourism and arrival levels in 2024 ( link )
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