Tourism and Sustainable Landscapes: A Portuguese Case

Abstract

Nowadays, the need for sustainable development and growth is considered as a maximum. Therefore, in Mediterranean territories, this issue is not dissociable as well. Nevertheless, this concept of sustainability, when applied to the environmental sphere, is not always fully considered and understood—as is the case of the landscape’s sustainability. Contextually, the present chapter intends to provide evidence of what way migrants and tourism businesses can change Mediterranean territories into sustainable landscapes. A Portuguese case study of 5,157 inquired migrants revealed that a significant percentage of them wish to return to their home country of origin to manage a tourism business and practice agriculture for self-consumption. This is owing to their tradition of practicing agriculture, where they generally do not employ insecticides and use simple techniques, as well as to the rural organization of the house and other cultivated lands they have scattered in their place of origin. Their similar experiences and migratory characteristics also lead us to argue there is a strong probability that migrants from Southern Europe and Mediterranean countries can also contribute to tourism development and sustainable landscapes in those countries.