The idea was expressed during a public session held at the Design Museum (MUDE) in Lisbon, which marked the start of a series of conferences aimed at discussing the construction of the 2035 Tourism Strategy.
At the opening of the session, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Pedro Machado, highlighted the economic importance of tourism, which has seen a growth in revenue, but warned of the occurrence of transformations that pose challenges to the activity.
“The world has changed and presents cross-cutting challenges. We have the pressure of tourism on resources, such as water, as happened in the Algarve. We have the climate agenda and mobility systems. The opening of new routes and emerging destinations”, he summed up.
Also, present at this session, the vice-president of the Lisbon City Council, Filipe Anacoreta Correia, defended the need to consolidate the growth of tourism, but that this trend should be accompanied by “pacifying coexistence with the city’s residents”.
“The data is encouraging. Quality tourism is growing in value. There is quality in services and responses. For example, the issue of urban cleaning. Tourists consider the city of Lisbon to be clean”, pointed out the mayor.
The vice-president of the Lisbon City Council also gave as an example the debate that has been taking place between the municipality and tuk-tuk operators, with a view to “introducing improvements in the quality of the service provided” and “avoiding constraints on movement within the city”.
The issue of coexistence between tourism and the daily lives of the capital’s residents was also one of the issues addressed by the president of the Regional Tourism Authority of the Lisbon Region, Carla Salsinha.
The official argued that tourism is the “most transversal and inclusive” activity and accused some opinion makers of trying to “attribute the responsibility for all the problems that exist to this sector”, also referring to a protest scheduled for the 9th “against unregulated tourism”.
“Does any sector focus on the interior like tourism? Is there any sector that has a salary increase like tourism? Is the mobility problem tourism’s? Is the housing problem tourism’s? This blame is being transferred to tourism”, she pointed out.
However, Carla Salsinha acknowledged the need to exercise “some regulation”, such as the management of tourist flows and entry to museums.
Fifty people signed a manifesto against “uncontrolled tourism” in Lisbon and called for mobilization for a sound protest on October 9th, in six locations in the capital, including the city hall buildings.
The action will take place between 9:00 and 13:00, at Praça do Município, Lisbon City Hall building in Campo Grande, Chiado, São Pedro de Alcântara, Portas do Sol and Avenida da Liberdade.