World Tourism Forum Lucerne

What World Tourism Forum Lucerne does

World Tourism Forum Lucerne is a Swiss non-profit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in Lucerne, Switzerland. It operates as a convening and advisory platform for the global travel, tourism, and hospitality industry, with a stated mission of connecting global leaders with the next generation. The organization maintains a small operational footprint of 1-10 employees and is closely affiliated with SHL Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern, a hospitality management school whose detailed product portfolio, certifications, and international project data constitute the operational backbone reflected in the available data.

The service portfolio encompasses three verticals: business solutions (Educational Consulting, Best Customer Experience, Professional Training, Institutional Certification, Search for Talent), executive education programs (AI Masterclass, SVEB Certificate, Hypnosystemic Communication and Negotiation Skills, Emotional Leadership, The Fascination of Hospitality), and academic programs (Bachelor in Hospitality Management in English, Hotelier(e)-Gastronom(in) HF Swiss Federal Diploma). The core methodology is the Swiss dual education system, a practice-oriented pedagogical approach combining classroom instruction with workplace training. International consulting projects are active or completed in Georgia, Saudi Arabia, India, Rwanda, Indonesia, Cambodia, China, North Macedonia, and Myanmar, involving curriculum co-creation, educator training, and full programme implementation support.

The business model is institutional and B2B-oriented, targeting governments, federal authorities, investors, and professional associations seeking to establish or redesign hospitality education frameworks. No public pricing, revenue figures, or membership fee structures are disclosed. The organization holds the eduQua quality certification and maintains memberships in Switzerland Tourism, ALICE (Association of Swiss Institutions of Higher Education), K-HF (Swiss Conference of Private Hotelschools), edusuisse, and ODEC, providing institutional credibility within the Swiss hospitality education ecosystem.

Name

World Tourism Forum Lucerne

Legal name

SHL Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern

Website

https://wtflucerne.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

World Tourism Forum Lucerne is a Swiss non-profit organization convening global leaders in travel, tourism, and hospitality. It delivers educational consulting, professional training, and executive education based on the Swiss dual education system, serving governments and institutional partners across multiple international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Hybrid, Multi-Location & Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Study Abroad Program Management & Administration (for Institutions) (EDAIAAAJ), Faculty-Led Study Tours & Embedded Short Programs (Home Institution-Led) (EDAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Hospitality education consulting
• Vocational training programs
• Executive hospitality programs
• Dual education systems
• Tourism forum events

Headquarters

HQ city

Lucerne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Core offering

World Tourism Forum Lucerne delivers educational consulting, professional training, institutional certification, and talent search services for the hospitality sector, alongside executive education and academic programmes such as the Bachelor in Hospitality Management and the Hotelier(e)-Gastronom(in) HF diploma. Its core activity is transferring the Swiss dual education system internationally through co-created curricula, educator training, and full programme implementation support for governments, associations, and investors.

Product overview

SHL Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern operates as an educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of hospitality education services. The portfolio consists of SHL Business Solutions (Educational Consulting, Best Customer Experience, Professional Training, Institutional Certification, Search for Talent) and academic/executive education programs including Bachelor in Hospitality Management, Hotelier(e)-Gastronom(in) HF, and various executive education programs (AI Masterclass, SVEB Certificate, Hypnosystemic Communication and Negotiation Skills, Emotional Leadership, The Fascination of Hospitality). The institution also provides advisory services for setting up hospitality training centers abroad using the Swiss dual education system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Consulting Advisory service for establishing new hospitality schools, enhancing existing programmes, or redesigning national vocational education models, grounded in the Swiss dual education system. Targeted at investors, federal authorities, and professional associations.
• Best Customer Experience Solutions focused on delivering high-quality hospitality expertise through practice-oriented educational concepts, aimed at hospitality professionals and institutions.
• Professional Training Tailor-made, practice-oriented training activities designed and implemented in Switzerland and abroad for hospitality professionals, delivered by specialist trainers and lecturers.
• Institutional Certification Certification services for hospitality educational institutions, supporting quality assurance and alignment with recognized standards.
• Search for Talent Talent search and recruitment services for the hospitality sector, leveraging the network of trained hospitality professionals.
• AI Masterclass Executive education programme focused on artificial intelligence applications in the hospitality industry, delivered in German.
• SVEB Certificate Certificate programme in adult education and training, delivered in German.
• Hypnosystemic Communication and Negotiation Skills Training programme on advanced communication and negotiation techniques, delivered in German.
• Emotional Leadership Programme focused on developing emotional intelligence in leadership roles, delivered in German.
• The Fascination of Hospitality Programme exploring the essence and principles of hospitality excellence, delivered in German.
• Bachelor in Hospitality Management (EN) Bachelor's degree programme in hospitality management taught in English.
• Hotelier(e)-Gastronom(in) HF Swiss Federal Diploma programme in hotel and gastronomy management, delivered in German.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Switzerland TourismminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partnership with Switzerland's national tourism organization, contributing to the hospitality and tourism education ecosystem in Switzerland.
• ALICE (Association of Swiss Institutions of Higher Education)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Swiss institutions of higher education in hospitality and tourism, provides eduQua quality certification for adult education.
• K-HF (Swiss Conference of Private Hotelschools)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss conference bringing together private hotel schools, supporting quality standards in hospitality education.
• edusuisseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss association for professional development and training, supporting continuing education standards.
• ODEC (Organization for Distance Education Certification)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization for distance education certification in Switzerland, supporting quality standards in distance learning.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA) Dubai: Vocational culinary and hospitality training provider in the Middle East with Swiss and international affiliations. Comparable as a niche vocational hospitality educator competing in the same target geographies (Saudi Arabia, UAE, India).

Broad incumbents

• World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC): Global industry body convening travel and tourism leaders. Comparable to WTFL's forum-style convening mandate ('global leaders meet the next generation') and tourism policy focus.

Direct peers

• Glion Institute of Higher Education: Swiss private hospitality school delivering Swiss-style hotel education and industry training globally. Comparable because it competes for the same international students and institutional clients that WTFL serves.
• Les Roches International School of Hotel Management: Swiss-based hospitality school with a broad portfolio of undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive education programmes. Comparable as another Swiss-origin competitor pursuing international students and custom executive programmes.
• École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL): Switzerland-based flagship hospitality management school. Comparable because it exports Swiss vocational pedagogy internationally via degree programmes, executive education, and consulting engagements with governments and hospitality groups — directly overlapping WTFL's model.
• Hotel & Tourism Management Institute (HTMi): Swiss hospitality school with a strong applied/practice-oriented curriculum. Comparable because it delivers Swiss dual-style training and competes for international student enrolment.
• Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS): Swiss hotel school in Caux/Leysin offering Swiss-quality hospitality degrees. Comparable as a peer Swiss institution selling Swiss-branded hospitality education to international markets.
• César Ritz Colleges Switzerland: Swiss hospitality school focused on luxury hospitality management. Comparable because it offers Swiss-style hospitality programmes and competes for similar student and institutional segments.
• International Hotel Management Institute (IMI) Switzerland: Luzern-based Swiss hotel school offering practice-driven hospitality programmes. Comparable as a local Lucerne peer competing for the same international student pool and institutional clients.

Regional players

• Hotelschool The Hague: Leading Dutch hospitality school with strong international student intake. Comparable because it offers Swiss-style applied hospitality education but is regionally anchored in the Netherlands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wtflucerne

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Tourism Forum Lucerne