Turismo de Portugal has launched the Network of Regional Sustainability Observatories, which makes Portugal the first country with sustainability observatories in all tourist regions. The presentation of this network took place at the Technology-Based Incubation Centre (CIBT) located on the campus of the Estoril Hotel and Tourism School.
The initiative reinforces the country's mission to position itself as one of the most competitive and sustainable tourist destinations in the world. Attending the event were the President of Turismo de Portugal, Carlos Abade, representatives of the Autonomous Regions, Regional Tourism Boards, and the universities and polytechnic institutes that support these observatories.
Obtaining in-depth knowledge of the impacts of tourist activity on the territory and greater efficiency in the planning and management of destinations is one of Turismo de Portugal’s strategic goals. The purpose of establishing the observatory network is to promote the collaboration of destinations in monitoring sustainability and support the development of good management practices at regional and local level, as well as boosting co-creation efforts and advertising initiatives.
The milestone celebrated today is the result of work that began in January 2018, when the UN Tourism International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) recognised the Alentejo Sustainable Tourism Observatory (ASTO). In January 2020, two more observatories were recognised, the Azores Tourism Observatory and the Algarve Regional Observatory for Sustainable Tourism (AlgSTO). More recently, the Centro (Central Portugal) Observatory became the fourth Portuguese observatory to join INSTO.
By the end of the year, membership requests from the most recent observatories created - the North, Lisbon and Madeira regions - will also be submitted to UN Tourism (UNWTO).
INSTO is a network of tourism observatories that aims to monitor the economic, environmental and social impact of tourism at destination level. This initiative is based on UN Tourism's (UNWTO) commitment to the sustainable and resilient growth of the sector through measurement and monitoring, supporting data-based tourism management.
