Portugal is consolidating sustainability as one of the main drivers of competitiveness and value creation in tourism investment. At IHIF – International Hospitality Investment Forum 2026, Turismo de Portugal presents its strategy to position the country as a destination increasingly aligned with the environmental, social and governance criteria that guide investment decisions in the sector.

This positioning is reflected in tangible results in the country’s performance across international sustainability indicators. In the Sustainable Development Report, which assesses countries’ progress in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Portugal ranks among the top-performing countries globally, showing consistent progress in areas such as climate policy, energy, and sustainable governance.

The energy transition is also a relevant factor for investors. Portugal is among the European countries with the highest share of renewable energy in electricity generation, with more than 60% of electricity produced from renewable sources, according to data from the International Energy Agency and the European Environment Agency. This framework contributes to reducing the carbon footprint of tourism operations and reinforces the country’s positioning as a favourable environment for the development of sustainable tourism projects.

In the tourism sector, this strategy is guided by the Climate Action Agenda for Tourism, which sets targets for the decarbonisation of the sector and for the adaptation of tourism activity to climate change.

Portugal also strengthens this positioning through its adherence to relevant international initiatives, such as the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism, and through the adoption of the criteria defined by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), an international reference in setting sustainability standards for the sector.

At the same time, Turismo de Portugal has been supporting companies in integrating sustainable practices into the management of their businesses. The Empresas Turismo 360° programme encourages the adoption of ESG strategies in the tourism sector, providing capacity-building for companies and facilitating access to financing instruments that value projects with positive environmental and social impact.

To monitor the evolution of these initiatives and support strategic decision-making in the sector, Portugal has also developed a network of Tourism Sustainability Observatories, becoming the first country to implement such structures across all tourism regions. These observatories enable the collection of data and indicators on the environmental, social, and economic performance of tourism, contributing to more informed and sustainable investment decisions.

According to Carlos Abade, President of Turismo de Portugal:

“Sustainability is now an inseparable factor of the competitiveness of any destination. In Portugal, we seek to transform climate and social challenges into opportunities for value creation, creating a safe, innovative environment aligned with global sustainable development objectives.”

With this integrated approach, Portugal aims to ensure that tourism growth contributes to the preservation of natural capital, the well-being of communities and the creation of sustainable investment opportunities in a sector increasingly oriented towards quality, innovation, and responsibility.