«We now have a lively
and capable business fabric, after two years of absolute standstill»
What else has Portuguese tourism learnt from
these last two years of the pandemic?
It has learned that
public-private partnerships are here to stay. If there is one sector where
there is constant dialogue between these two worlds, it is the tourism sector.
In the pandemic, we all worked together, not just to survive, but to lead once
travel restrictions were eased or removed. Today, the sector is again a fundamental
driver of our economy.
What
major measures are being taken to make Portuguese tourism more sustainable?
Already in 2017 the
Tourism Strategy 2027 identified social, economic and environmental
sustainability goals with a view to positioning Portugal as one of the most
competitive and sustainable tourism destinations in the world. At that time, we
defined lines of action based on funding and capacity building for companies to
support the inclusion of sustainability criteria in their strategies and
operations. As of today, and among the more than one hundred actions in
progress, the Tourism Companies 360° Programme is one particular highlight. The
goal of this programme is to accelerate the process of incorporating
Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) indicators in organisations,
challenging companies to actively rethink their environmental, social and
governance practices. The focus is on the development of actions that include
the training of tourism companies to incorporate ESG indicators in their
management processes, the provision of monitoring tools, models of
sustainability reports and the promotion of public recognition of the
organisations. It is a pioneering programme worldwide.
What
are the goals in terms of numbers for the next four years, especially for the country’s
inland regions?The Reactivate Tourism plan establishes four
pillars of action – supporting companies,
promoting security, generating business and building the future – and is made
up of specific actions that, in the short, medium and long term, will enable
the transformation of the sector and position it at a higher level of value
creation, significantly contributing to GDP growth and to a fairer distribution
of wealth, also in inland areas. This plan will enable the industry to exceed
27 billion Euros in tourism revenue in 2027 in a sustainable manner, generating
wealth and well-being throughout the territory, all year round, and investing
in the diversification of markets and segments.