The Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies (ESHTE), created in 1991 by Decree-Law no. 374/91 of 8 October, is a public polytechnic higher education institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

The Statutes, approved by Normative Order no. 13/2021, of 6th May, reaffirm its nature as a non-integrated polytechnic school and give it powers to create, transmit and disseminate knowledge related to the exercise of highly qualified professional activities in the areas of Tourism, Hospitality and Catering, and in particular to:

• Interaction with the labour and employment market from an academic perspective, from the perspective of professional practice and from the perspective of suitability for opportunities in the exercise of the activity;
• The creation of a centre of excellence to support the development of professional and entrepreneurial tourism and hospitality activities;
• Carrying out fundamental applied research.

 
ESHTE is thus a centre for higher-level cultural and technical training to prepare professionals who can respond to the challenges facing the tourism business and institutional sector.

Through technical and scientific training geared to the needs of the sector, ESHTE graduates see themselves as true agents of change, capable of facing opportunities and challenges in a context of great uncertainty and strong competitiveness.