The Regional Director for Science and Technology highlighted in Ponta Delgada the importance of the scientific conferences held in the Azores for "the international projection of the Region and its social and economic development."

Bruno Pacheco spoke on the sidelines of the International Conference on Creative Tourism under the theme "Culture, Sustainability, and Place: Innovative Approaches for Tourism Development. According to him, "tourism is one of the priority areas of the Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation of the Azores (RIS3 Azores)."

He revealed that, through a tender launched under the Azores 2020 Operational Programme, 22 scientific research projects in line with RIS3 are underway in the Region, seven of which are being developed in the area of tourism.

"The tender represented an overall investment of 2.9 million Euros; one million were invested in the area of tourism," said the government official.

The Regional Director also said this investment strategy is "intensified" with the participation of the Azores in international projects designed to "strengthen skills in the Region based on tourism as an area for development of economic activity."

In this regard, he pointed out as examples the European projects "Urban Waste," "Smart Destinations" and "Islands of Innovation"

Organised by the Azores Tourism Observatory, the University of the Azores, the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra and the Thompson Rivers University, this international conference addresses the relation between the different roles and dimensions of culture in tourism and regional sustainable development.

This initiative involves the participation of nearly 140 participants and over a dozen speakers from Portugal, Canada, New Zealand, Germany and the Netherlands. It intends to create the conditions for tourism, as a multidisciplinary scientific area, to generate dynamics for a greater training of agents in the sector.

Bruno Pacheco stated that the Government of the Azores "acknowledges” the added value of this event for the development of the tourism sector in the archipelago, having provided financial supported to its organisation."