Portugal | First Nation with Sustainability Observatories in All its Tourist Regions



Tourism Portugal has launched the Network of Regional Sustainability Observatories that elevates the country as the first nation at international level that has such a comprehensive sustainability observation network at the territorial level.


This initiative reinforces Portugal's mission to position itself as one of the most competitive and sustainable tourist destinations in the world thanks to the joint action of Tourism Portugal, representatives of the Autonomous Regions, Regional Tourism Boards, Universities and Polytechnic Institutes supporting the observatories.


The objectives of the establishment of the network of observatories are linked to promoting the collaboration of destinations in monitoring sustainability, supporting the development of good management practices at regional and local level as well as promoting co-creation actions and constant dissemination initiatives. 


The President of Portugal Tourism stated that knowing and monitoring the environmental and social impact in order to plan and manage efficiently is nowadays an absolute necessity and from now on a milestone is established that contributes to establishing Portugal as one of the most competitive and sustainable countries in the world.
 

All that is a great satisfaction and motivation to continue to work assiduously to position and consolidate the country as an international leader in sustainability.


Link : https://www.expreso.info/noticias/internacional/101225_portugal_primer_pais_con_observatorios_de_sostenibilidad_en_todas_sus

DoubleTree by Hilton Nice Centre Iconic Opened its Doors



DoubleTree by Hilton Nice Centre Iconic has opened its doors in the heart of Nice, very distinctive city of the eternally, charming Côte d'Azur.


The hotel is located a short distance from the iconic Promenade des Anglais, stylish corridor that runs along the Mediterranean Sea within walking distance of the city's many museums and castle hill and ideally connected to the main urban centres, a 15-minute driving from Nice Côte d'Azur airport, with easy access to the Nice-Ville train station and only a 25-minute by car from the opulent Principality of Monaco and opulent Cannes.


The accomodation with its elegant and at the same time unusual design, shows a modern profile, complementary but rather contrasting with the city, inspired by the azurite crystals that are said to be messengers of optimism, creating a positive aura.


The hotel has 105 rooms equipped with all facilities, stylishly furnished with contemporary finishes and a typical French touch. There are also spacious family rooms that can accommodate up to five people.


Other notable amenities include a fitness center, event spaces with great sea views, as well as the Iconic Bar and large terrace.


By the end of the year there will be a new addition with the panoramic restaurant Pesca which will be located on the fifth floor and will offer a unique gastronomic panorama with an ever-changing menu, the best selection of fresh fish available every day with its unique concept "Fish Theater" where guests will be entertained by the resident fishmongers and dynamic prices.


The Vice President of Continental Europe Hilton commented on the group's great enthusiasm in bringing the DoubleTree by Hiilton brand to an ever-sought-after destination like Nice, which continues to attract millions of visitors uninterruptedly thanks to its UNESCO World Heritage status, its unique connecting services and the fascinating Mediterranean setting, a hotel that is perfectly suited to both tourists and business travelers.


The DoubleTree by Hilton Nice Centre Iconic Hotel is a kind of accomodation perfectly suited to both leisure and business travellers is the third Hilton Group property to open on the French Riviera since the brand debuted in the region last year alongside Canopy by Hilton Cannes and Columbus Hotel Monte-Carlo, a superb new addition to a highly sought-after destination.


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Hawaii | Regenerative Tourism Bill Signed

 

The Governor of Hawaii, island state in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland, has signed a bill that will ensure that the archipelago's tourism industry grows while restoring and preserving cultural heritage, while promoting economic diversification.

The bill introduced and signed by Governor Josh Green was supported by the Native Hawaiian Caucus in both chambers of the U.S. legislature that calls for a type of regenerative model for tourism, ecologically and culturally, although the law does not establish specific measures that Hawaii will take to make tourism regenerative.

The lawmaker said the bill establishes a framework from which policies will be implemented and the principles of regenerative tourism will be added to the Hawaii State Planning Act according to a press release.

The main objectives of this bill are reducing impacts on beaches, coral reefs and ocean life, community efforts to protect natural cultural resources, better positioning of the state's entrepreneurs and businesses, supporting other economic sectors by reducing the state's dependence on tourism, vocational training and education, and opportunities for advancement in the tourism sector.

The overall objectives are to reduce impacts on beaches, coral reefs and ocean life; support community efforts to protect cultural and natural resources; "better positioning" of Hawaii's businesses and entrepreneurs; supporting other economic sectors to reduce the state's dependence on tourism; and provide vocational training, education, and opportunities for advancement in the tourism industry.

Link : https://www.travelweekly.com/Hawaii-Travel/Hawaii-governor-signs-regenerative-tourism-bill

Dominican Republic | Iberoamerican Leader in Tourism Income

According to news reported by Latinvex, a digital publication that weekly analyzes activities in Latin America, including rankings that compare countries, companies, energy, technology, legal and much more, the Dominican Republic continues to be the first Ibero-American country in terms of tourism revenue as a percentage of GDP and the second tourist market in Iberoamerica in terms of revenue and visits, only behind Mexico.

These data represent confirm the data expressed in the year 2023 when tourism revenue as a percentage of the Dominican Republic's gross domestic product stood at 8.1%, the highest for the Ibero-American area and five times higher than the average for the region which is 1.8%.

Also very interesting are the perceptions of the other main tourist markets that see Colombia with 2.1%, 1.7% for Mexico and only 0.3% for the large Latin American country, Brazil.

As for tourism revenue in the Dominican Republic in 2023, a figure of $9,751 million had been reached, a value that was higher than the revenue of Colombia, Brazil and Panama.

Link : https://www.expreso.info/noticias/internacional/101193_republica_dominicana_lider_en_iberoamerica_en_ingresos_por_turismo

Varenna | Shimmering Lake Como Diamond

 

The marvelous Varenna located on the eastern branch of the Lario in front of the extraordinary Bellagio in the province of Lecco in a fairytale territory where waters, mountains, nature and magnificent landscapes are a stupendous blend enchanting every visitor at first sight.

This center  considered the shimmering Lake Como diamond apart its unique, scenic beauty boasts a centuries-old history originally born as a fishing village in 769, a faithful ally of the Duchy of Milan and devastated in 1126 by Como troops during that long war conflict that saw the Larian City facing the enemy Sforza and Visconti Dynasties for the dominion of that corner of Lombardy.

I recommend starting the visit from Villa Monastero which, as the name suggests, was the seat of a Cistercian female monastery founded in the twelfth century, a monastic order then suppressed becoming the home of a family from Valsassina called Mornico at the beginning of the seventeenth century.

In this historical stage the building underwent the first structural changes and later changed into an attractive eclectic style of Nordic architecture between 1897 and 1909 at the behest of the owner at the time, a wealthy German citizen of Leipzig called Walter Kees.

This beautiful residence consisting of 14 rooms elegantly furnished in the taste of the old owners now hosts important cultural and scientific events.

The villa boasts a Botanical Garden with lush flora that extends for about 2.0 kilometers containing exotic but also native trees.

With the magnificent views of the Lario you can head towards the bewitching historic center reaching the main square where there are some historical gems of Varenna such as the beautiful Church of San Giovanni Battista, a Romanesque masterpiece of the eleventh century, one of the oldest religious buildings in the entire Larian basin.

Built on a rectangular plan with a nave, the interior shows perfect architectural lines of that period with sinuous vaults and a beautiful polychrome apse with a Baroque altar, columns from Villa Monastero, images of three Angels inserted in the tympanum and in a niche a beautiful wooden statue of the Virgin Mary with Child.

Continuation with the beautiful Church of San Giorgio dated the 13th century built on a small religious building erected a century earlier which shows in its layout the typical Lombard Romanesque with the use of gray stone and a massive structural profile.

The rectangular plan without transept develops in three naves with the side aisles supported by conical corbels, i.e. elements that apart from being decorative support arches and vaults.

In the center of the façade there is a magnificent medieval fresco depicting St. Christopher, supreme protector of ferries, painted in the 14th century, and an oculus protected by a glass section.

The imposing bell tower raised on a quadrangular plan is another sublime highlight boasting a beautiful circular clock with Roman numerals and a wonderful, long conical spire that crowns the top.

Afterwards you can visit the interior full of works of art of enormous value admiring a painting dated 1533 depicting the Baptism of Jesus executed by a local artist, Sigismondo De Magistris, another starring a gigantic Beelzebub devouring souls located in the counter-façade.

Other highlights are various frescoes decorating the chapels, beautiful marble columns and a fabulous triptych in a chapel on the right side with the Virgin Mary, Christ Child and Saints Martin and George attributed to a painter with the stage name Sodom , a rather unusual nickname for an artist who painted such a work in a sacred place.

The ecclesiastical complex of San Giorgio also houses two small oratories dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua and St. Mary Magdalene.

On the right side of the square is the Museum of Ornithology created in 1962 by the famous ornithologist Luigi Scanagatta, also an expert in botany, an exhibition that contains various rare specimens, a section dedicated to the species of birds that populate the Lario and a very rich Library accompanied by over 1500 volumes concentrated on studies of botany, zoology and ornithology.

The magnificent historic center of Varenna is characterized by a mosaic of cobbled alleys flanked by splendid renovated houses and suggestive stairways, intersecting between the districts of the village including the attractive Contrada dei Pescatori linked to the inhabitants dedicated to fishing and that of the Torchio with clear reference to the grinding of agricultural and port  products for navigation on Lake Como.

 Continuation with the famous marble workers' shore and then along the magnificent, romantic Via dell' Amore, suggestive walkway suspended over the waters connecting the two piers that is the ancient port and the new Olivedo pier in the presence of the elegant former Villa Venini now called Villa Sozzi, known for having hosted famous Vicenza writerAntonio Fogazzaro.

On a magnificent hill there is the wonderful Villa Cipressi noble residence developed between 1400 and 1800, today a well-known hotel that boasts a botanical garden that can be visited from March to October, the structure surrounded by picturesque cypresses sometimes gives the impression of being in the heart of the extraordinary Tuscany.

Time for your lunch, I recommend staying in the traditional, local among the first courses Tagliolini with Ham and Cream or Risotto with Perch, second courses to choose between Grilled Varello with Mixed Salad or Veal Fillet with Aromatic Herbs with a side of Browned Potato Flakes with Butter and Rosemary.

After lunch I recommend reaching a fascinating and in its own way mysterious place, namely the descent of the Latte river immediately south of the center of Varenna, known for being the shortest Italian river with its 250.0 meters.

This very short tributary of the Lario has its source in the mountain group of the imposing Grigne and descends not far from the remains of the Castle of Vezio located on a rugged promontory of the picturesque Val D' Esino and from the houses perched on the slopes of the 1033.0 meters of the suggestive Monte Fopp.

The name derives from the waters of a very clear white similar in tone to milk, a unique natural phenomenon as it is visible only from March 25th, the day that corresponds to the Feast of the village in honor of the Annunciation until October 7th, the date in which the Madonna del Rosario, patron saint of Varenna, is celebrated.

 

This intermittency and precise dates have fueled legends, narratives, some connected to the descriptions of the Roman writer Pliny the Elder and the Academician Lazzaro Spallanzani who studied it and also the great Leonardo da Vinci was intrigued by this spectacle of nature, visiting it and mentioning it with the nickname Fiumelaccio in the famous Codex Atlanticus.

Visiting Varenna means admiring one of the bewitching and unique beauties of that natural jewel called Lake Como, a unique tourism experience to be remembered perpetually in your best memories.

Link : https://varennaturismo.com/en/

Where to Stay | Recommeded Accommodation

Hotel Villa Cipressi by R Collection Hotels

Hotel Royal Victoria by R Collection Hotels

Hotel Olivedo

 

 

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