Abstract This ‘reflective practice’ presents and critically describes the case of the “Schools for Tourism” (CAT), a case of promoting tourism and tourist culture in Colombian public schools through early vocational training, reporting the idea, development, outreach, and achievements of this program, as this initiative has experienced significant growth over the last few years. The methodology to this paper is of qualitative nature, i.e. primary literature sources as well as a focus group with high-school students and in-depth interviews with initiators of the project were carried out. Appraisals on the ground suggest that teachers' enthusiasm and commitment are primary factors driving the success of this kind of tourism and hospitality training programs, as is the support given to the teachers implementing CAT. More funding (in form of college scholarships or loans) would be very welcome. While the program's benefits are more than clear to all of the stakeholders, a thorough evaluation is still to be carried out so as to fully assess the benefits but also the weaknesses of the program.