Below is our response to the Damage Survey | Fires 2025, promoted by Turismo Centro de Portugal:

 

Good afternoon

Thank you for your email and Turismo Centro de Portugal’s sincere concern about the issue of forest fires as a factor detrimental to tourism.

I will refrain from responding to your form because, as a travel agency and tourist activities company, I do not own any material assets that have been affected by the recent forest fires. Fortunately.

However, I am affected by something that may not be measurable or considered, which is the loss of bookings as a direct consequence of the fires.

Wildlife Portugal’s business is to promote the natural heritage of the country’s interior, which has once again been affected. Protected areas, natural and rural landscapes that are the identity of the interior territories are burning.

For at least a year, the landscapes will be deprived of their commercial tourist value for those seeking this type of experience. Not to mention the loss of biodiversity.

I am concerned about the regularity and exponential severity of the forest fires affecting our region. This situation is not unfamiliar to foreign visitors, who come to Portugal for authentic and enriching experiences – such as those that we and all our colleagues and partners in this activity are able to offer our visitors.

I fear that Portugal will lose its charm as a tourist destination of choice and become a country of risk.

Please do not take my response as a criticism of the work carried out by Turismo Centro de Portugal. Quite the contrary. It is an outburst. For 30 years, we have witnessed the evolution of this degradation of our heritage, on which we depend.

It is also an opportunity to launch an appeal and proposal to Turismo Centro de Portugal to bring together the various entities that promote or manage the territory and try, effectively and in practice, to pressure the government to do something to reverse this situation.

Compensation measures may temporarily mitigate the impact of the damage caused by forest fires, but they will not instil the confidence necessary for tourists to continue visiting the interior of the country.

 

Thank you for your attention.

Best regards,

Fernando Rom茫o