The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated that the signing of the Sustainability Primer by 41 public and private entities reveals the "commitment" of all parties involved in a joint strategy between the Azorean Government and the various agents in the sector.
 
"This is the beginning of a joint path that demonstrates the need to involve all entities so that the results may be concrete and multisectoral," said Marta Guerreiro. She spoke at the closing session of the International Conference "Azores 2017: Towards Sustainable Tourism," after the signing of the signing of the Sustainability Primer.
 According to the Secretary for Tourism, "this conference represents commitments and challenges for the future," namely the "rigour of the practices of each entity as well as an internal and external acknowledgement that we are a Region with action-based policies."
 
Marta Guerreiro also highlighted "the process of Certification of the Destination as a public commitment of the Regional Government, which is expected to be fulfilled by 2019."
 
"Therefore, we commit to begin this certification process, first of all, by responding to the need for a destination management entity. It will be in charge of leading the management of destination standards and will play a decisive role with all public and private entities in order to fulfil its commitments," said the government official.
 
According to the Regional Secretary, this entity "will also provide a stimulus to the creation of more sustainable products and experiences, allowing visitors to easily find a greater differentiation in the Azores Destination."
 
While on this subject, Marta Guerreiro revealed that the work on the certification process has already begun. She added that it will "focus on following the guidelines drawn up through the survey and diagnosis report presented at the conference. The document portrayed the current state of the Region in terms of sustainability criteria."
 
"We know we are not starting from scratch, but we also know there is a long way to go, a very demanding path, but it will enhance the progress of a Region with obvious concerns about sustainable issues," added the government official.
 
The Regional Secretary reiterated the Regional Government's full availability and commitment in the close collaboration with all public and private entities in favour of a more sustainable development of the tourist destination.
 
"All this is only possible if we continue to foster an in-depth work with all parties involved in a regular interaction so that the results may be more promising," said the government official.
 
This international conference, promoted by the Azorean Government, brought together about 300 participants from several areas of activity, promoting the discussion and sharing of knowledge about the Region's position on sustainability matters. This will be achieved through the collaboration with local agents as well as through the contribution of national and international experts.
 
"It was an exciting and inspiring two-day conference," said the Regional Secretary. She stressed that the event was "a unique opportunity to project the Azores to the international scene of sustainability," while reinforcing "the internal recognition of the Region as a sustainable destination."