O Observatory for Sustainable Tourism of the Algarve, launched in March 2019, will join the World Tourism Organization (WTO) network, «positioning the Algarve as a leading destination in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability», announced the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA) ).
The recognition of the regional observatory by the OMT will take place on the 23rd during FITUR, the Madrid tourism fair to which the Algarve returns this year.
In a process initiated less than a year ago by RTA, with the support of Turismo de Portugal and in close partnership with the Regional Coordination and Development Commission of the Algarve and the University of Algarve, this observatory will now join the worldwide network of UNWTO – International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) – which already involves the participation of countries such as China, Greece, Brazil, the USA and Italy.
«The sustainability of a territory presupposes a concern with natural resources and with the future quality of life of the populations that inhabit and visit it, which is why it is necessary to promote territorial cohesion and balanced economic growth. The regional observatory guides us along this path, developing methodologies for sustainability in tourism and providing us with scientific knowledge about the region. With its integration into INSTO, it will be even easier to exchange information with network partners, apply similar management and monitoring techniques and, finally, increase the Algarve's tourism competitiveness», considers João Fernandes, president of RTA.
The symbolic moment of recognition of the Algarve observatory by the OMT will take place at the Madrid International Tourism Fair, where the Algarve will be promoted from the 22nd to the 26th of January with a destination module and thirteen business modules integrated in the exhibitor in Portugal, located in pavilion 4 , stand 4D02.
Nature, culture, gastronomy, golf and sun and sea are the Algarve's bets for this edition of FITUR, a fair in Spain that is a global meeting point for tourism professionals from all over the world and which takes place in a market that has generated more 401 thousand overnight stays in the Algarve outside the high season in 2019 (+ 12,2% than in the same period in 2018).
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