Shoe king Louboutin concerned over excess tourism in Melides

The renown high-end shoe designer Christian Louboutin, famous for his red-soled creations that sell for hundreds of euros a pair, wants to prevent Melides, on the Alentejo coast – where he has a hotel – from becoming the St.Tropez of Portugal.

The region, south of Lisbon, was once a dormant coastal area. Now, it has become an “amusement park” for the rich. The flood of homes and other luxury projects has caused prices to skyrocket in the region. The inhabitants feel excluded, and the shoe designer is now campaigning for a greater balance between the new tourists and the authenticity of Melides.

“The prices are absurd. There are almost no affordable homes on the market.” The designer could have been referring to Lisbon or Porto, but apparently the complaints come from the locals of Melides.

Christian Louboutin is just one of several super wealthy who have decided to invest in a house in Melides. However, people have been investing in detached homes in the region for almost two decades.

But the recent explosion of tourist and luxury developments in Melides is ringing alarm bells among locals, who are concerned about the environmental impact “overtourism”.

“Tourists come here for the beauty of this place,” said the French designer, in an interview with Bloomberg, adding: “which is why we must try to keep it as it is”.

In recent years, the region, 90 minutes south of Lisbon, has been flooded by a flood of new real estate projects, beach clubs, golf courses and campsites, but at luxury prices.

It has been referred to as an “amusement park for the rich”. The coastal area, once isolated and one of the last almost untouched stretches of the Atlantic coast in Portugal, has seen the birth of several projects: a luxury residential community owned by American real estate mogul Mike Meldman and a resort from Spanish billionaire Sandra Ortega, the daughter of the founder of the fashion textile company Inditex (Zara).

But it is not only foreigners who have invested millions in the area. Among the national projects are the JNcQUOI beach club, near the village of Comporta, owned by businesswoman Paula Amorim, and the gated communities from the real estate developer Vanguard Properties, whose investments will reach more than €1Bn, also in the Comporta area. (including two golf courses)

The truth is that the municipality and the surrounding area benefit from money and jobs, according to the mayor of Grândola, António Mendes, who assured the news agency that he was bucking the trend of escalating prices. The municipality wants to ban development along the coast and reduce the number of tourist beds already approved by 40%.

However, the abrupt change in Melides’ lifestyle seems to be increasing inequality of access and resources according to the complaints of the inhabitants interviewed by Bloomberg.

Loubotin, who owns a small hotel in Melides, says he is not opposed to luxury tourism in the town of 1,500 people. He wants, however, to see more responsible management and protection of the environment from tourists and the companies that have invested there, integrating a local group that works towards this aim, Intertidal Melides.

In June of this year, the business daily Negócios reported about the project by talking to Noemi Marone Cinzano, who shares the opinion of the luxury shoe designer.

The two drew up a sustainable plan to ensure the survival of the Melides lagoon that they call the ‘Devil’s Dam’. They succeeded in changing the habits and working methods of farmers in the region and enlist the support of celebrities for the project.

“People are touched by authenticity and we have to keep it that way,” Louboutin told Bloomberg. “Don’t expect Melides to become a St. Tropez. It’s not going to happen.”