Portugal west coast · Workshop
ARHCESMO
Co-facilitating “Sustainability as a Paradigm Shift” with BCSD.
We questioned whether volumetric growth as a measure of success was blinding us from transformative change for the sector.
In 2023, we were invited by Turismo de Portugal to take part in the Lisbon Tourism Fair (BTL) in a public debate on the role of tourism in achieving broad sustainability objectives and building a better future for all. We emphasised how tourism has huge potential to become a more resilient and thriving sector if it becomes capable of continually regenerating communities and places alongside growth. But that requires shifting beliefs, behaviours and practices.
We were delighted to receive an invitation afterwards from the secretary of ARHCESMO — representing the hoteliers operating on the coastline between Oeiras, Estoril, Cascais, Sintra and Mafra — to explore this tension further with their members. She also challenged the other guest speaker to co-create something with us, given his organization (BCSD Portugal) helps businesses implement sustainability.
So, in 2024, we co-created a workshop to do just that: inviting ways of thinking about how to make hotels more sustainable while enlarging their view as agents of change for a more regenerative tourism. We gathered over 30 participants, from large international luxury chains to local boutique hotels, and ended with the best feedback of all: if you do something like this again, count me in.