After the village of Porto Covo, it is now the turn of an entire Alentejo municipality. Regional tourism authorities want the whole Alentejo “certified as a Biosphere destination within the next two years”.
Mértola is the first municipality in the Alentejo to become a sustainable tourist destination
Thursday, 15 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Local accommodation (alojamento local) means short-term tourist rentals—private apartments, houses or rooms rented for days or weeks—that must be registered and licensed with municipal authorities. Municipalities can suspend or cancel licences (Lisbon cancelled about 6,700 licences in early 2026), so travellers and hosts should check a listing's registration and local rules before booking or offering stays.
Sustainability (sustentabilidade) means meeting present needs without reducing the ability of future generations to meet theirs, covering environmental, economic and social dimensions. For residents it affects local planning, jobs and services—look for municipal or company targets, timelines and measurable actions when assessing how sustainable a place or employer is.
