MISSION

The Alentejo Sustainable Tourism Observatory (ASTO) aims to measure and monitor tourism sustainability development in Alentejo territory. Its goal is to develop a recognized UNWTO Sustainable Tourism Observatory, generating best practices that will be instrumental in improving evidence-based decision making at the national, regional and local levels, in supporting the development of sustainable tourism and in the protection of the fragile natural resources that are the basis of tourism development. The implementation/ development of this project constitutes the recognition of Sustainable Tourism as a vehicle to foster economic and social development, as well as potential source of negative social, cultural and environmental impacts, that have to be monitored and managed.

The impact of tourism on climate change urgently requires the data that will inform sustainable change built on established, evidence based sustainable tourism indicators. Tourism destinations require the tools and skills to monitor their transition towards sustainable living and facilitate destination comparison, for evidence-based planning and management. The observatory will offer decision-makers at all scales with critical real time data to facilitate evidence informed planning and decision-making.

CURRENT MONITORING PROCESSES

The Regional Observatory for Sustainable Tourism of Alentejo results from a partnership between Turismo do Alentejo, ERT (Regional Tourism Board), Turismo de Portugal, I.P. (National Tourism Authority), University of Évora, the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre and the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém. The partnership agreement was signed on 1 June 2017.

Turismo do Alentejo, ERT has strong values and principles linked to promoting identity and local values, sustainability of policies, social responsibility and territorial cohesion, all implied in the region’s development and tourism promotion strategy for the period 2014-2020. Furthermore, Turismo do Alentejo, ERT has already underway several initiatives aligned with the same strategic direction, such as the destination certification program, which is based largely on sustainable tourism principles and norms.

The main objective of this initiative is, besides improving the sustainable management of the destination, underlining a pioneering position in the context of the Portuguese tourism destinations and join an international network, with obvious gains in terms of image and notoriety.

KEY MONITORING AREAS

Employment
Destination economic benefits
Tourism seasonality
Energy management
Water management
Solid waste management
Waste water (sewage) management
Local satisfaction with tourism and governance

DID YOU KNOW...

Since 2016, the Regional Tourism Board of Alentejo is carrying out a sustainability certification process, which has started with the Sustainable Tourism Certification for Accommodation process for hotels (Biosphere) and will reach the whole chain of tourism services, with the final goal of sustainable certification for the destination.