Matosinhos boosts future of tourism industry in line with UNESCO values

At the recent "BOOST, Building Better Tourism" event, the President of Tourism Portugal, Luís Araújo, stressed the imperative of optimised tourism, even after the record numbers achieved by the sector after two years of adversities imposed by the pandemic.

This event, which was held at the Matosinhos Cruise Terminal, was an initiative of Nest - Tourism Innovation Centre, and was supported by the Municipality of Matosinhos. It brought together more than 50 national and international speakers, 15 start-ups from various countries, and approximately 200 participants. The relevance of digital transformation in tourism and the challenges of harmonising continuous growth with sustainability and social responsibility were the highlighted themes in the debate.

Matosinhos, as a partner of "BOOST Innovation", a new international innovation programme for Nest's acceleration in collaboration with the World Tourism Organisation, is at the forefront of efforts to become a territory for the implementation of various pilot projects with potential for global application.

The mayor, Luísa Salgueiro, highlighted the significant growth of tourism in Matosinhos in recent years, which has materialised, for example, in gastronomic, sports, religious, spiritual and events tourism. The municipality advocates for more sustainable tourism, in order to protect both residents and those who work in the city, in line with UNESCO's principles of promoting sustainable development.

In tune with the ideals of environmental preservation, Matosinhos has set a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 85% by 2030, thus anticipating the decarbonisation target set for 2050. To achieve this goal, the municipality is implementing measures in various areas, such as energy, transport, industry, waste management, and land use, which include promoting research and innovation for sustainability in industry and creating a low-carbon industrial economy.

The Secretary of State for Tourism, Nuno Fazenda, reinforced the need for greener, more digital and higher quality tourism, reminding that tourism represents 20% of the total export of services of the country. Through initiatives and measures like these, Matosinhos is taking significant steps towards achieving the goal of becoming a member of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, promoting sustainability, inclusion, and creativity.