Sustainable Tourism Law

468 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW III. POUSADAS OF PORTUGAL, A SUSTAINABILITY PATH Since 1951, with the establishment in the Castelo de Óbidos, Pousadas de Portugal have started to use certified heritage sites for tourism purposes, either for accommodation or catering. Thus, Pousadas ensured the rehabilitation and preservation of monuments and other buildings of great historical, patrimony and cultural significance which, although having effectively witnessed various periods of our collective life, were in a state of absolute ruin. With this new practice, monuments have gained a new vocation but also a new future. Therefore, not only did the trend become more pronounced, it became necessary for the Pousadas to be installed only in certified buildings or, at least, those with architectural features worthy and distinctive of a certain period. From this point of view, Pousadas not only qualify and diversify the Portuguese tourism offer, through a differentiated product with a very high quality standard, but also allows us to preserve and safeguard true and unique examples of our History and Culture. In this manner, over the course of a few decades it was possible for Pousadas de Portugal to bring new life to monuments that had lost their glow and even their structural consistency. Just as an example, reference should be made to the rehabilitation of the Castelo of Alcácer do Sal that languished in the upper part of the city. At the same time, it also made it possible to preserve and bring to light the ever-present collection of cultures and civilizations that preceded the Portuguese, like the Phoenicians, Romans or Arabs. Reference can also be made to how everything was maintained in a state of optimal preservation and the new, dignified vocation received by the Palácio do Freixo. Despite being a magnificent example of the great Nasonian architecture of Porto, it found itself not only with a shaky future, but also at a mere 11 meters away from an old factory ravaged by the passage of time, having essentially turned into debris. Fortunately, these examples could be replicated, because after using the Castelo de Óbidos, as mentioned above, Pousadas de Portugal no longer disregarded this perspective regarding the recovery and functional reassignment of heritage sites as one of the essential features of this differentiated tourism product. It became one of the major elements of its activity. It is very curious, in fact, that in this precise moment, reconstruction, conservation and refurbishment works are underway in two buildings located in the historic centre of Óbidos (the former Misericórdia Hospital and the former