What does innovation mean for the future of tourism in the Algarve — and how can businesses and destinations respond to an industry that is changing faster than ever?
These are some of the questions that will set the tone for the 5th edition of the IPBN Annual Tourism Conference, taking place on Thursday, 22 October at WELL Vale do Lobo, in partnership with Vale do Lobo Golf & Beach Resort.
Under the theme Innovation (New Trends) in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, the conference will bring together tourism and hospitality professionals, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and experts from Ireland and Portugal to explore some of the opportunities and challenges reshaping the sector.
Across the morning, discussions will focus on three interconnected areas: the quality and impact of local tourism experiences, the growing role of technology and artificial intelligence, and sustainability and safety across sport and leisure.
Opening and closing these conversations will be two voices with deep connections to the Algarve tourism landscape: Hernâni Estêvão, General Manager of Vale do Lobo Golf & Beach Resort, and André Gomes, President of Turismo do Algarve.
The conference will begin with a keynote statement from Hernâni Estêvão, General Manager of Vale do Lobo Golf & Beach Resort, exploring innovation and new challenges in the tourism industry.
With a career focused on service, business performance, strategic planning, and people leadership, Hernâni brings a perspective grounded in the day-to-day realities of operating within one of the Algarve’s established tourism destinations.
His professional approach combines a strong focus on customer experience with commercial performance, efficiency, profitability, and sustainable growth. He also places considerable emphasis on people, from creating positive and disciplined working environments to empowering teams to perform at their best.
That combination is particularly relevant to a tourism industry navigating multiple changes at once.
Today’s tourism businesses are operating in an environment where guest expectations continue to evolve, technology is changing how services are delivered, sustainability is becoming increasingly important, and destinations are having to consider how they can grow while protecting the qualities that make them attractive in the first place.
Hernâni’s keynote will provide an opportunity to consider these challenges from the perspective of a major Algarve tourism operator, setting the scene for the conversations that follow throughout the conference.
Following the opening keynote, the conference will move into a series of conversations examining different dimensions of innovation in tourism from local tourism experiences, hotels of the future, and tourism's relationship to AI, sustainability, and responsible development.
Together, these sessions will explore innovation not simply as technology, but as a broader question of how tourism businesses and destinations can adapt, improve, and create value in a changing environment.
Bringing the morning’s discussions to a close will be André Gomes, President of Turismo do Algarve, who will deliver the conference’s closing statement.
André brings extensive experience across tourism, events, destination promotion, and regional development. His career has included roles with the Municipality of Portimão, Portimão Urbis, the Portimão Tourism Association, and the Algarve Tourism Region, as well as experience at national government level as an advisor to the Minister of the Sea.
Since 2018, he has held senior leadership roles within the Algarve Tourism Region, becoming President of the organisation, as well as President of the Algarve Tourism Association.
His experience offers a valuable wider perspective on the issues discussed throughout the conference: how individual businesses, tourism operators, and destinations can respond to change, while continuing to strengthen the Algarve as an internationally competitive tourism region.
His closing remarks will provide an opportunity to reflect on the themes emerging throughout the morning and consider what they mean for the future direction of tourism in the Algarve.
For the IPBN, the Tourism Conference is about more than examining trends within the sector. It is also about creating a space where professionals from Ireland and Portugal can share experience, exchange ideas, identify opportunities, and build relationships.
The tourism industry is changing across both markets, and many of the questions facing businesses are shared: how to embrace new technologies without losing the human element, how to create meaningful local experiences, how to operate more sustainably, and how to remain competitive as customer expectations continue to evolve.
The 5th edition of the IPBN Annual Tourism Conference will bring these questions together for a morning of practical discussion and cross-border perspectives, followed by networking over a light lunch. Join us on 22 October at WELL Vale do Lobo and be part of the conversation about where tourism goes next. Click here to read more and register.
| The IPBN is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland under the ESP Grant programme |
