The mayor of Setúbal, André Martins, appointed on November 16 “identity, sustainability and inclusion” as the three main axes of Setúbal's tourism strategy, during the Palmela Tourism Forum, held at Cineteatro S. João, in Palmela.
“Setúbal has implemented its tourism strategy based on the sustainability of the destination's resources, avoiding mass tourism and focusing on targeted tourism and respect for local communities. Identity, sustainability and inclusion are the three main axes of Setúbal’s tourism strategy”, he said, speaking on the panel “Tourism Development Strategy for the Arrábida Region”.
According to the mayor, the city, the Arrábida mountains and the Sado estuary “are the potentialities” that exists “to achieve these strategic axes” and, as a nature destination, Setúbal “affirms its capabilities” No. walking, cycling and birdwatching, through the networks of walking, cycling and landscape interpretation routes existing in those protected areas.
“All this path has been carried out through partnerships, either with entities such as the ICNF [Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests], the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve or parish councils, or with tour operators. The appreciation of the rich natural heritage present in the territory of Setúbal enhances, in our perspective, the development of sustainable tourism”, he stressed.
André Martins recalled that, in partnership with the Association of Municipalities of the Setúbal Region, the ICNF and the municipalities of Palmela and Sesimbra, Arrábida's candidacy for Biosphere Reserve, “as a development vector for the region”, é “one of the strategic projects” assumed by the Setúbal Council.
“This recognition, conferred by UNESCO, will undoubtedly be a promoter of sustainable tourism in the territory of Arrábida and the municipality. It is important to remember that more than 50 percent of the territory of Setúbal is a protected area, with high natural and environmental value, which confers even greater responsibilities in preparing our territory for what is to come”, he said.
Emphasizing the need to “preparing the territory for the impact of climate change”, recalled that Setúbal, Palmela and Sesimbra recently presented the PLAAC-Arrábida, an Adaptation Plan to Climate Change, the result of the work of ENA – Energy and Environment Agency of Arrábida, municipalities, academia and local agents of this Arrábida territory.
The mayor underlined that Setúbal has also established itself in cultural and enogastronomic tourism, “aggregator areas” that attract, throughout the year, a tourist “increasingly qualified and demanding”, in addition to being “at the forefront of promoting a smart destination”, being one of the 48 European tourist destinations selected for the Smart Tourism Destination 2022/2023 project of the European Commission.
This project “translates into the implementation of innovative digital solutions to make tourism sustainable and accessible, taking advantage of cultural and natural heritage and creativity to improve the tourist experience of users”, with Setúbal being “selected from the restricted group of those who are working on these matters in the coming months”, from among the approximately 600 European applications to this programme.
After stating that some aspects of Setúbal's tourism development strategy are relevant, “surely”, in various aspects of those of Sesimbra and Palmela, argued that, "in particular" over the past decade, there have been “an intense and exponential tourist development” of the Arrábida territory.
André Martins recalled, however, that the three municipalities “are not the only ones” managers of the territory, being known the “difficulties” in managing it “with other agents, who have equally responsibilities”As “there is not always understanding between all parties” to work together “in promotion and defense” from Arrábida.
“Today, as never before, we have tourist demand and an ever-increasing and better offer, which results both from the intense effort of urban requalification that our municipalities have promoted, and from the creation of new and improved conditions of attraction. It results, above all, from the businessmen of the sector who have believed in this territory and have known so well how to interpret the effort and commitment of these municipalities to create a quality tourist offer here”, assured.
The mayor recognized, on the other hand, that the large influx to the beaches of Setúbal, which are “a reference at national and international level”, is a problem for which the municipality has sought “finding solutions within the framework of the harmonious development of the territory”So that “all can enjoy” of that natural heritage.
Among several possible measures, he assured that the municipality remains committed to the search for “solutions to create better conditions for people to have access to Troia”, so that if “take pressure off the beaches of Arrábida”, and challenged all entities with responsibilities in the process to commit equally.
In the opening session of the meeting, dedicated to the "Touristic Recovery", the mayor of Palmela, Álvaro Amaro, indicated that “it is the relationships of cooperation and synergy that constitute the best support” of the projects, “as proved in the pandemic”, and recalled that Arrábida is already “one of the hubs” of the tourist region “Lisbon”.
“The last few years have required an enormous capacity for adaptation and resilience”, he said, referring to the effects of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, before recalling the huge fire in Palmela in July and that excessive heat, drought and rural fires are the main threats to the territory of Arrábida until the end of end of the century, according to PLAAC-Arrábida.
The director of the Department for Boosting the Offer and Resources of Turismo de Portugal, Teresa Ferreira, was pleased to be able to speak “about tourist recovery” and stressed that, “contrary to expectations”, 2022 turned out to be a year "very good" for it to be a fact, as Portugal had 20,5 million guests until September.
“It means that we are almost reaching the numbers of 2019, which was the best tourist year ever”, he indicated, adding that there should be talk of a recovery in tourism “with due precautions”, due to the times "uncertainty" that the world lives.
The Director of the Operational Department of the Regional Tourism Entity of the Lisbon Region, Jorge Humberto Silva, defended the continuation of the partnership between the three municipalities within the scope of Arrábida.