| The IPBN is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland under the ESP Grant programme |
The IPBN’s second annual Tourism Conference is scheduled to take place in the Algarve on Wednesday, May 24 at the charming Quinta do Lago Clubhouse from 9h to 13h and, thanks to the participation of incredible keynote speakers, panelists, and presenters, promises to be an eye-opening look into topics related to the tourism industry in the Algarve. The lineup of panelists in the third discussion will focus on regional Sport and Leisure activities, which are responsible for making the southernmost coast the desirable destination that it is.
Panel three will be moderated by Elise Slotte, Owner and guide at IPBN member company Wow Guide Algarve, which offers guided road trips that give people a chance to get away from their daily lives and enjoy the richness that the authentic Algarve has to offer. She will lead panelists Mark McSorley, General Manager of Hotel & Residences at IPBN member company Quinta do Lago and the Campus High Performance Centre, André Gomes, Director of Promotion, Animation, and Tourism Information Center at Turismo do Algarve, and Fabio Fragoso of Vilamoura Surfing Club in a discussion that should shed light on all aspects of the topic at hand. Before the panel kicks off, the IPBN would like to give attendees a little context on each panelist and their current projects.
The luxury hospitality executive Mark McSorley has been described as a global nomad with a focused outlook as a hotelier. Prior to his current position at Quinta do Lago, Mark was integral to launching and managing Quinta do Lago's Magnolia Hotel as his passion is in innovation and trend forecasting and curating new solutions to ever-changing market conditions and customer needs. During the launch, he told HotelDesigns.net, "We’ve created a truly unique design hotel offering for the Algarve that is sure to excite our guests, from the fitness fanatic to the gourmet enthusiast." His talent has truly spoken for itself as he has gone on to assume even more responsibility at the Quinta do Lago brand of hotels.
Under the watchful eye of the second panelist, André Gomes, the Algarve has enjoyed many successes in its tourism numbers. In a recent speech announcing his candidacy for the presidency of the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), André shared, "The Algarve is my emotional territory, my home, my land, where I grew up, studied, got married, had children, and to whom I have dedicated 20 years of work, 15 of them in the field of tourism." During the five-year term, André promised to further enrich the region as the best beach destination in Europe by continuing to win awards when it comes to cultural, heritage, natural and sustainability values, and more. He said he would promote the Algarve as, "not just the main Portuguese tourist destination, but the best, the most diversified, the most sustainable, the most innovative, the most qualified, without ever losing the charm of the Algarve that fills the memories of childhood, youth, and adulthood of hundreds of thousands of Portuguese and all those of many nationalities who choose our region." According to the candidate, this can be done through the "promotion and use of advanced and innovative technologies that improve the experience of tourists, stimulate the competitiveness of companies, and increase the adoption of new technologies in the sector."
Fabio Fragoso has been busy managing the Vilamoura Surf School, certified by the Portuguese Surfing Federation and by Turismo de Portugal, This is the first surf school on Vilamoura Beach. The school aims to teach the art of surfing the waves in a safe, correct, and relaxed way, always under the close and attentive supervision of Portuguese Surf Federation-accredited teachers.
A special thank you to IPBN conference partner Quinta do Lago, conference media partners The Portugal News and TNews, and our conference sponsors and IPBN members clubstohire.com, Joao Marques Seguros, SoundLove, Vendici Properties and Reis – Gestão de Empresas, who have all made this conference possible.
You will find all the details about the conference venue and program here, where you will be able to register to attend the conference remotely on the IPBN YouTube channel, as currently all in-presence tickets have been allocated.
| The IPBN is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland under the ESP Grant programme |
