The Secretary of State for Tourism, Trade and Services, Rita Marques, was one of the speakers at the 67th session of the World Trade Organization Commission for Europe, which runs until 3 June in Erevan, Armenia.

The main theme was "Policy discussion on the recovery of the tourism sector in Europe" and focused on the subjects that, albeit the signs of recovery, threaten the European economy: the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, energy prices and the rise in inflation.

Portugal presented the "Empresas Turismo 360º" (360º Tourism Enterprises) programme as an example of the efforts made by the country to build the tourism of the future. This is an innovative project that intends to speed up the process of incorporating the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance indicators in firms, actively daring them to rethink their practices in these three areas.

 

The Programme invests in developing the initiatives that include capacity building in tourism enterprises to incorporate the ESG indicators in their management processes, making available monitoring instruments, sustainability reporting modes, and includes also the public recognition of the organisations.

Rita Marques claimed that "the current moment must also be an opportunity for tourism to rethink the way in which it interacts with other sectors in the economy, with natural resources and ecosystems, seeking an equal distribution of its benefits, while also promoting its resilience and transition to carbon neutrality. This is what we are doing, namely through implementing the 360º Tourism Enterprises programme."

This programme was launched in November 2021 and 54 companies have already subscribed. In sum, these represent around 1.9 billion euros in turnover (around 10% of the sector’s total) and 14 595 workers.

The Secretary of State used the occasion to reiterate the invitation to the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries to take part in the UN Ocean Conference, which will be held in Lisbon from 27 June to 1 July, a meeting that is to bring people together and be inclusive in seeking commitments and concrete action to respond to the challenges faced by oceans today.