A team of trainers from the Waoh! this one in Portimão from the 25th to the 28th of March, to train maritime-tourist operators, public administration technicians linked to tourism and students from various institutions, making them aware of the best practices related to ecotourism, namely in the set of tools for tourist guides are also responsible agents in terms of environmental preservation.
Students from the TeSP course in Tourism Animation Management, from the Tourism Course at the Portimão Hub of the University of Algarve and also from the Employment and Vocational Training Institute participated in the action.
In the first two days of the action, maritime-tourism operators had the opportunity to gather theoretical and practical suggestions of good practices, in order to do their best for the ocean.
On March 27, the Clube Naval de Portimão hosted a training action aimed at public administration technicians.
On the last day of the initiative, UAlg's Portimão Hub was the stage for the action aimed at higher education and professional education students in the area of tourism.
A Route Waoh! (Wildsea Atlantic Ocean Heritage) intends to celebrate the unique natural and cultural heritage of the European coastal territories bathed by the Atlantic, unveiling a mosaic of adventures, flavors and travel experiences. It currently covers 14 destinations, being present nationwide in Sesimbra, Cascais and Portimão.
According to the Spanish Julia Vera, responsible for the travelecology, one of the entities involved in the project, “I realized, with this initiative, that in Portimão there is professional quality and a very well prepared business fabric to take advantage of all the potential offered by ecotourism and sea sports”.
“There are companies offering a very interesting product, with highly qualified people. In addition, the Portimão Chamber has just certified one of the first nautical stations in the country. All these are extraordinary ingredients to differentiate Portimão, in the medium to long term, as a top tourist destination, based on the sea and on all the activities that can be carried out on this stunning coast”, highlighted the trainer.
From his point of view, "the differentiation of Portimão will depend, to a large extent, on the talent of its entrepreneurs, who should invest in training to have guides capable of making an adequate interpretation of the natural values that exist here, as an Atlantic destination, transmitting to tourists relevant and interesting information about marine species, their habitats, what a diver can find under these waters, etc.”
“This land has all the ingredients to constitute an extraordinary destination, capable of competing with the best in the world. We were fortunate to have companies that are better prepared, or at least – have a high degree of sensitivity to these issues in the session”, added Julia Vera.
“Companies that already have marine biologists in their ranks were present, as well as diving centers with qualified personnel to interpret the underwater environment where they operate. All expressed a lot of curiosity about the topics covered and realized the scope of differentiating themselves from the competition”, he summed up.
“The commitment of the local authority, because it is really making a significant effort to facilitate this type of action and all the hospitality it has given us is proof of that”, he said.
In his words, “the Nautical Station of Portimão will be the ideal mechanism to articulate many training and promotion actions in the near future and this commitment to sustainability, I am sure, will bear tasty fruit”.
To António José Correia, responsible for Fórum Oceano, national partner of the Waoh! and certifying entity for the nautical stations, “what took place in these days was one of the main objectives that guide the project, that is, the training of operators”.
“Basically, what is intended is to train national trainers to subsequently train operators. There are currently more than 700 entities involved in the country's nautical stations, 60 percent of which are companies. It should be noted that in Portimão we have more than 70, which is a very interesting number and reveals an appreciable capacity for mobilization”, explained the official.
“The recognition I felt from the participants goes towards adjusting the training content to their own needs, as experiences that value natural resources and encourage the increase of knowledge in customers should be encouraged. The type of tourist who values the issues of nature, also values the territories where these same issues are dignified. This is the path”, said António José Correia, before concluding: “What is important is that we have structured contents within the scope of ecotourism – more tourism is not needed, but better tourism”.
More information at: www.wildsea.eu
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