Sustainable Tourism Law

Azores: moving into sustainable tourism N owadays, to speak about Tourism, in a first approach, is to make a certain place to be global, making the tourism tendencies, increasingly, more comprehensive, at the same time that they become specialized in market segments and products that value the local characteristics, in a context that should be each time more international. This is why each nation, each country, each region should follow a path of constructing a differentiating positioning that would add value and that would consolidate their notoriety in relation to their competitors, motivating the growth of the potential markets. In fact, each destination should always keep a double look: from inside out and from outside in. Only this dual way of acting and performing will give each region the real perception of what is their positioning and the path that should follow. The truth is that today, all destinations must also be responsible, promoting their sustainability and their access to an international level. For that purpose, we must all double the importance that we give to the adoption of policies that allow the socio-economic development of a place, diminishing all the possible growth impacts that such development might imply. It is on base of these premises that the Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism of the Azores Regional Government develops her strategy of action, continuing to work to make the Azores a Tourist Destination, increasingly, more pleasant for the visitors, at the same time that safeguards the life of all citizens and protects the environment. Tourism has assumed itself, at an international level, as the engine and the main driving force of the sustainable development. Its management is collaborative, is multisectoral, has visibility and is subject to internal and external appreciation. This is the reason why, this sector allows a “dragging” movement that is very effective for conducting sustainability policies at a worldwide level. In the Azores we live a very favourable period in the sector, with notable growth levels. This growth is taking place because of the characteristics of the region itself. The Azores are a region with stunning natural beauties, associated