On 1 July 2025, Turismo de Portugal held the first
meeting of the Destination Watch regional observatories network at the School of Hospitality and Tourism of Lisbon. The initiative was attended by the Chair of Turismo de Portugal, Carlos Abade, and representatives of the regional sustainability observatories.
It was an opportunity to discuss the action plan for 2025-2026 and to present the
results and objectives of the network:
_ Complete the process of setting up observatories within the Regional Tourism Authorities and Regional Tourism Directorates of the Autonomous Regions;
_ Ensure the conditions for the observatories to work sustainably, with a two-year action plan;
_ Ensure that by the end of 2025 all Regional Observatories submit requests to be integrated into the UN Tourism INSTO Network;
_ Establish a consistent action plan for the Observatory Network that responds to the needs of tourism destination management entities as well as the challenges faced by the INSTO Network;
_ And to deepen monitoring and research on the topic of sustainability, collaborate in defining common metrics and research tools, and promote international collaboration within the scope of the UN Tourism observatory network, the International Network of Sustainable Tourism (INSTO).
The creation of sustainability observatories in each region allows for in-depth knowledge of the impact of activity in the territory and greater efficiency in the planning and management of destinations, that is one of the strategic objectives of Turismo de Portugal.
Sustainability in tourism is unavoidable, and the path is forged within the territories, taking into account not only environmental but also social sustainability.
