Iberian cities debate tourism development and modernisation

On Tuesday morning, Porto, Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, the Balearic Islands and Cascais debated 'The future of tourism in Portuguese and Spanish cities'. An event organised by the Sociedad Barcelonesa de Estudios Económicos y Sociales, an initiative of the Fomento do Trabalho Nacional business centre, took place in the Spanish capital and was attended by the Mayor of Porto.

Alongside Rui Moreira were his counterparts from Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida Navasqüés, from Malaga, Francisco de la Torre Prados, and from Cascais, Carlos Carreiras, as well as the president of Barcelona's Tourism and Hotel Guild, Jordi Clos Llombart, and the president of the Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearics, Carmen Planas Palou.

This proved to be an opportunity to reflect on tourism as one of the main drivers of economic development in Portugal and Spain, a key sector for defining the construction of cities, whether from an urban planning point of view, or in terms of cultural services and employment.

The round table discussed topics such as training professionals, managing the tourist tax, improving the visitor experience, but also civic spirit, sustainability, security, infrastructure and the importance of alliances to boost new cultural and sporting offers and technological innovations.

The session was opened by the Spanish Minister for Industry and Tourism, who said that the cities of 'Madrid, Malaga, Porto and Cascais are four of the Iberian Peninsula's tourism powerhouses', adding that 'we need to work to maintain a sustainable tourism model'.

Jordi Hereu Boher emphasised that 'our way of being, our cities, our gastronomy, our history, our natural landscapes, our historical and cultural heritage are the key to this strategy'.

The Spanish minister recognises that 'innovation often comes from cities' and that they are 'magnets' for a response to decentralise tourism throughout the peninsula. 'We need the benefits of tourism to reach every corner of Spain and Portugal', emphasises Jordi Hereu Boher.

Closing the meeting, the president of the Spanish People's Party praised the 'experience, hard work and vision' of the mayors present.

'The Iberian Peninsula is one of the best places in the world, in competition with fantastic countries like Italy or France. We are always among the first in a benchmark industry', believes Alberto Núñez Feijóo.

The Sociedad Barcelonesa de Estudios Económicos y Sociales considers tourism to be a key sector for defining new strategies for more effective management of the global brands of cities such as Porto, Lisbon, Cascais, Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca or Malaga.

'The issues addressed at this meeting require a commitment to collaboration between the cities in order to generate tourism development that results in the improvement of the cities and the lives of their citizens', he said.