The Nature Tourism Biennial (BTN'19), which has sustainability as its motto and takes place in Aljezur from the 22nd to the 24th of February, it will also have a sustainable venue. A partnership between Vicentina – Association for the Development of the Southwest, promoter of the event, with Algar, will allow the presentation of an environment-friendly venue that is completely plastic-free.
Following this logic, all spaces at the fair, including the stands in the exhibition area that will be installed in the Espaço Multiusos in Aljezur, will be built from cardboard boxes that will later be collected by Algar for recycling. On the other hand, waste management will also comply with the ECO Event membership standards.
The objective of BTN'19, which will bring together tourism professionals, entrepreneurs, decision makers, certifying entities and researchers from around the sector, is to launch Sustainability as a point of reflection for the development of the territory in the coming years.
A Vicentina – Association for the Development of the Southwest, promoter of the event, “has no doubts about the need to value the region's natural and heritage resources, incorporating principles of social, economic and environmental sustainability”.
José Gonçalves, President of the Municipality hosting the event, underlines “the extreme importance of BTN'19 because Nature Tourism has always been of great importance to Aljezur, since Nature is in fact the council's greatest asset”.
The mayor warns, however, that the event should serve to “call the attention of decision makers who have competences in these areas, because Nature Tourism can be a product of excellence and has very interesting opportunities, not only in Aljezur, but throughout the region, but it also has many associated risks”.
For this reason, he points out, “it is necessary to equate them, discuss the challenges that will be presented to us and try to fine-tune a solid and concrete strategy to address the future”.
In this sense, BTN'19 will have a number of excellent speakers, namely linked to the main tools for certification or awards and good practices for sustainable development.
Luigi Cabrini, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and former director of the Sustainable Tourism Program of the World Tourism Organization, is one of the confirmed presences, as is Fátima Vieira, coordinator of the Green Key, or Paulo Castro, of the Charter European Sustainable Tourism Council of Europarc.
Also confirmed are Ana Garcia, president of Accessible Portugal, António Carlos Duarte, coordinator of Geopark Arouca, Catarina Gonçalves, national coordinator of the Blue Flag Program of the Blue Flag Association of Europe, or Patrícia Araújo, CEO of Biosphera Portugal, who is at work on certification in the Alentejo region.
The debates will be stimulated through a series of round tables, where regional and national actors will contribute to the reflection of this challenge.
A BTN'19 will also have a strong component knowledge regarding the intrinsic value of the region. Natural and Cultural Heritage, Nature Tourism Activities, Qualification, Management and Certification will be the themes of more than 50 Knowledge Workshops supported by mentors linked to entities such as the University of Algarve, Turismo de Portugal, Rota Vicentina, Almargem, or entrepreneurs linked to dynamics of the sector.
The BTN'19 venue will also feature an exhibition area focused on business solutions around sustainability, a B2B business area, supported by the Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) Algarve – Enterprise Europe Network, and a recreational space , where an arraial will take place that will not forget the challenge of this event.
The realization of BTN'19 is made possible by co-financing CRESC Algarve and the Municipality of Aljezur and through partnerships with Municipalities, the Algarve Tourism Region, In Loco, Terras do Baixo Guadiana, Almargem, Rota Vicentina, among others.
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