{"id":4261,"date":"2026-09-04T16:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T14:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/?p=4261"},"modified":"2026-09-04T23:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T21:12:09","slug":"grace-peregrine-rubio-skal-granada-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/al-frente-de-skal\/gracia-peregrin-rubio-skal-granada-2\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00ab"Connecting generations who share a passion for working in tourism"\u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"

President of Sk\u00e5l Granada \u00b7 Member of the Statutes Committee of Sk\u00e5l Spain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gracia Peregr\u00edn Rubio has experienced tourism from very different and complementary perspectives. A graduate in Tourism and Art History, she has spent much of her professional career in public tourism management, culminating in her role as Director General of Tourism at Granada City Council. Alongside this experience, she has taught at the University of Granada and has a long-standing association with Sk\u00e5l. She was also the first woman to serve as president of Sk\u00e5l Spain, from 2011 to 2013.

Currently, as president Sk\u00e5l Granada<\/a> and a member of the Statutes Committee of Sk\u00e5l Spain, she is familiar both with the day-to-day reality of a club and with the organisation's broader functioning.

In \u201cLeading Sk\u00e5l\u201d, we spoke to Gracia about Granada, tourism management, professional associations, new generations and the changes Sk\u00e5l needs to make as it looks to the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Gracia, your relationship with Sk\u00e5l has led you to take on responsibilities in different areas, and you are now at the helm of Sk\u00e5l Granada. What does it mean to you to lead your club, and what led you to take on this responsibility?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading the club is an honour because of its history and its close connection with the development of tourism in Granada since it was founded in 1964. That history also carries considerable weight: Granada hosted the 1995 World Congress, attended by 2,000 people, the largest participation to date, and was at the centre of a twinning ceremony with Jerusalem, where there was a single club in which, regardless of race or religion, everyone was united by tourism.

Taking on this responsibility at this time is also a significant challenge because of the structural changes that have taken place in the local tourism industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Granada hosted the 56th Sk\u00e5l World Congress in November 1995, one of the great milestones in the history of the Granada club.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. How would you define Sk\u00e5l Granada today, and what do you think distinguishes it within our organisation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Sk\u00e5l Granada is a club undergoing transformation. We need to address generational change and set realistic objectives that can attract new members while meeting both their social and professional expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. You have spent a significant part of your career in public tourism management. What has that experience taught you about the importance of public authorities, businesses and tourism professionals working together? Can Sk\u00e5l help build those bridges?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governance in tourism is not only necessary but increasingly important in achieving sustainable development. At a time when overtourism is becoming a growing concern among residents, and when the perception of tourism as a sector offering little job security and limited social value is damaging its image, collaboration between the tourism sector and public authorities makes it possible to focus efforts on real needs and avoid wasting resources on ineffective measures.

Serving as both a bridge and a voice is undoubtedly one of our objectives. Sk\u00e5l Granada participates in initiatives that promote this type of governance, such as Granada's bid to become European Capital of Culture 2031. The agreement signed last year directly involves us in a project that will help shape the city's tourism development in the years ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gracia
The mayor of Granada, Marifr\u00e1n Carazo, during the signing of the agreement with Gracia Peregr\u00edn, vice president of Club Sk\u00e5l Granada. Photo: Granada City Council.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Granada combines heritage, culture, university, and tourism in a destination with enormous international potential. What do you think are its main tourism challenges today, and what role can Sk\u00e5l Granada play?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainability, quality and professionalism are the main challenges.

In recent years, the city's accommodation model has changed dramatically. We have gone from a situation in which around 80% of hotels were locally owned and managed to one in which that figure is now around 20%. This has coincided with considerable growth in luxury hotels, which represents a significant step forward, but at the same time there has also been an increase in mass tourism associated with alternative accommodation, such as holiday rental apartments.

On the one hand, this means that many of the major companies now make their decisions outside the destination. On the other, the imbalance created by VUTs makes it more difficult to establish the necessary dialogue among all those involved and to reach a shared vision of how we want the tourism industry to develop.

Tourism depends on everyone: the industry, professionals and residents. Promoting the quality of services, the sustainability of both the destination and its businesses, and professionalism across all activities that contribute to Granada's tourism and cultural image will be among our main objectives in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. You also know the university world from the inside and are in direct contact with those who will become the tourism professionals of the future. What are we doing well, and what should Sk\u00e5l change to encourage new generations to become part of the organisation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our greatest asset for young people is the international nature of the association. Students see international training and internships as opportunities to gain real-world experience and improve their employment prospects, something we have not yet promoted sufficiently within Sk\u00e5l.

On the one hand, the University needs to engage with businesses to tailor training to the sector's needs; on the other, businesses need to make further progress in digitalisation and job stability. Sk\u00e5l Granada's proposal to develop a series of specialised micro-credentials in areas such as meetings, cultural events, heritage interpretation and gastronomy is a project we intend to implement next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A moment from the twinning between Sk\u00e5l Granada and Jerusalem, an example of the international character and friendship that defines Sk\u00e5l.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

6. You are currently a member of the Statutes Committee of Sk\u00e5l Spain. Organisations with a long history need to preserve their essence while continuing to evolve. Do you think Sk\u00e5l is prepared to adapt to new ways of connecting, communicating and networking without losing what makes it unique?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What truly sets us apart is something that is highly valued in today's hyper-connected world: trust.

The confidence that comes from knowing that a Sk\u00e5l member is a tourism professional who will always be there to help is invaluable. Local clubs also allow us to gain a genuine understanding of the people behind a business.

It is true that generational change is proving difficult because I believe we have not yet managed to understand how young people communicate, which is essential if we are to convey our values and respond to their concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. If you were speaking to a tourism professional who did not yet know Sk\u00e5l, what would you say to explain why it is worth becoming part of this organisation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the genuine networking opportunities it offers and the trust you can place in the professionals you meet, from every sector of the tourism industry and from all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. When your time at the helm of Sk\u00e5l Granada comes to an end, what would you like to have contributed and what kind of club would you like to leave for those who continue the journey?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would like to have succeeded in connecting generations and to leave behind a club made up of people who share a passion for working in tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, complete this sentence: \u201cFor me, Sk\u00e5l is...\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, Sk\u00e5l<\/a> is the community of people around the world who make tourism possible and share a passion for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Presidenta de Sk\u00e5l Granada \u00b7 Vocal de Estatutos de Sk\u00e5l Espa\u00f1a Gracia Peregr\u00edn Rubio ha contemplado el turismo desde perspectivas muy diferentes y complementarias. Diplomada en Turismo y licenciada en Historia del Arte, buena parte de su trayectoria profesional se ha desarrollado en el \u00e1mbito de la gesti\u00f3n tur\u00edstica p\u00fablica, llegando a ejercer como directora […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[50,47],"class_list":["post-4261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-al-frente-de-skal","tag-asociacionismo","tag-skal-espana"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4261"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4269,"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4261\/revisions\/4269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sinergiaskal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}