First Algarve residential tourism and sustainability conference launches in November
The first edition of a new conference that examines the residential tourism sector in the Algarve and its medium and long-term sustainability will be held in November.
An initiative by tourism and tourist development consultant Andrew Coutts, CEO of the ILM Tourism & Hospitality Real Estate Group Portugal, the one-day conference, co-organised by the Dengun – Digital Agency, will be held at the Anatara Vilamoura Resort Hotel on Friday, 23 November.
The event includes an impressive line-up of keynote speakers, all experts in their fields, including: André Jordan, from the Grupo André Jordan; Scott Bennett, Vilamoura World; Pedro Fontainhas and Carlos Leal, Portuguese Resorts Association (APR); Miguel Fernandes, Dengun; Julio Delgado, Ombria Resort; Gerry Fagan, DPM; Ricardo Guimarães, Confidencial Imobiliário; Charles Weston Baker, resort development consultants; Alexandra Gonçalves, regional director of Algarve Culture and Bruno Mendes, IAD Portugal.
Ten years after the start of the global financial crisis and now nearly three years into the recovery and expansion phase of the market, the conference will address the strategic aspects of the residential tourism segment within the context of the Algarve tourism economy, a sustainable development strategy for the destination and the markets inherent economic cycle.
Conference themes include: Creating a sustainable Algarve tourism destination — market, economic, social and territory; The tourism multiplier effect on residential tourism and tourist lodging source markets & investment; Traveller tribes 2030 – new markets & demand drivers, demographics, consumer / buyer profiles and motives; Seniors, retirees, millennials — which demographic? health & wellness infrastructure — a critical factor — the new market segment of luxury travellers — affluent millennials, experiential travel; New investors, short-termism, investors return requirements and market cycles — a new model?; A new destination and residential tourism product marketing model — data, social media and digital marketing, new sales distribution channels & players; New resort and tourist lodging concepts, product trends and innovation — case studies; Creating sustainable destinations & communities, authenticity and embracing new cultures.
Andrew Coutts, CEO of ILM Tourism and Hospitality Real Estate Group Portugal who initiated the event and co-organised it with Dengun – Digital Agency, says, “What makes this conference different is that it is very focused on the Algarve and while there has been significant excitement in terms of investment and development generated by Lisbon and Porto, the Algarve has shown a more timid response in terms of investment interest.
“There are many sites in the Algarve that have outline planning permission that can be explored and projects that were in the pipeline some 15 years ago before the crisis which were never developed or indeed need to be redeveloped, rethought and reenergised to reflect changes in the market since then,” says Andrew Coutts.
Andrew Coutts says that in terms of the sustainability movement, Portugal is “somewhat behind the curve” and now, just three years after the end of the crisis, this needs to be explored and discussed.
“The Algarve is a long thin East-West region and most of the development is along the coast, yet there are some stunning environments inside which are suffering from desertification with young people leaving the area. We are hoping to create a dynamism and movement for operators, investors and developers and we feel that the current optimism and feel-good atmosphere is propitious for such an event at this time where stakeholders can come together and discuss the issues and opportunities that exist for some of these areas,” concludes Andrew Coutts.
