Founded 14 years ago, it has long been a Responsible Tourism company, guided by principles of protecting environmental heritage and having a positive social impact. About a month ago, Algarve-based ProActiveTur was one of one hundred Portuguese companies to receive the “Engaged with sustainability” seal from Turismo de Portugal.
This is a “certification process”, based, like all others, on criteria and metrics, but, in the case of this company based in Loulé, the distinction ends up being in line with its DNA.
“We are using the term responsibility more to designate the type of tourism we promote, because responsibility already entails another type of behavior, another type of stance, namely the relationship with local communities and local people. Sustainability is very much focused on the issue of the environment,” said João Ministro, founder of ProActiveTur, in an interview with Sul Informação.
“But let’s assume that the two things are very similar. The truth is that this has been part of our essence since the beginning,” said the head of this Nature Tourism company, which offers services such as hiking and birdwatching trips, among others.
And if João Ministro, in his personal journey, has a strong connection to environmentalism – «I came from an environmental association [Almargem] and my training is in Environmental Engineering» -, ProActiveTur is involved in many projects «that have a public mission, such as RATE», but also the organization of the Walking Festival Ameixial, which put this parish on the walking map, nationally and internationally.
To obtain the “Engaged with sustainability” seal, the Algarve company had to undergo a process that was “somewhat complex” and “not very easy”, but which is in line with what João Ministro believes to be the future of tourism: the guarantee that the activity is sustainable and responsible.
“Ultimately, we all have to be aware that this is the way forward, there is no turning back. And Turismo Portugal has shown that it is perfectly aware of this,” he added.
To receive the seal, companies had to meet “a set of criteria”, linked “to social issues, environmental issues, economic issues and even issues of internal resource management”.
«For each criterion, you have defined metrics. And the interesting part is that we also end up benefiting a little from this process, since it gives us a perspective of the path to follow to achieve objectives».
“If we, for example, want to stop producing carbon dioxide, let's say, by 2030, this type of program allows us to define the metrics to achieve the goal. And then, every year we have to prove that we still meet the criteria,” he said.
In the case of ProActiveTur, much of the work was done before the certification process began.
“We are already carrying out reforestation activities and even managing car use. We have a vehicle here that is not yet electric, but it will be electric in the future. We manage the vehicle very carefully. There is planning to prevent the vehicle from taking unnecessary routes,” revealed João Ministro.
“The work team itself, a good part of my colleagues, only come here [to the office] twice a week. The rest of the time they work from home. So this also allows us to reduce our carbon footprint,” he added.
João Ministro was, moreover, invited to speak and tell the story of his company at the seal award ceremony, which took place in Alcobaça.
On the ground, on behalf of his clients, the Algarve businessman says that he feels an increasing concern for sustainability, both of the activity itself and of the company providing the service.
The same is true with trade. «We work with a number of international agencies and tour operators, who are slowly requiring local partners to have some kind of sustainability certification. For now, it is happening slowly, but I believe that sooner or later, everyone will have some kind of requirement at this level».
“It is important to have this seal that proves that we are, in fact, doing things well – or trying to do so. Turismo de Portugal is on the right track!” he said.
Having been in the market for 14 years, João Ministro has noticed that there is a growing demand for products and services linked to Nature Tourism.
“I think these are clearly interesting times for those working in this area. There is demand and the American market has clearly provided a major boost. And we have undoubtedly seen this growth over the last 14 years,” he said.
However, warns João Ministro, “there is a lot to be done”.
“Although there is a new awareness of these issues not only on the part of companies but also of official bodies, there are also problems to be solved and there is still a lot to be improved. For example, there is a lack of support infrastructure, such as functional bathrooms in certain places, something that I think should no longer be a topic of discussion,” he explained.
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