A HISTORICAL DAY FOR WINE TOURISM

Yesterday was a historic day for Enotourism. APENO, in collaboration with ABREU Advogados, promoted the first public debate on the lack of a legal and fiscal framework in the wine tourism sector, with the right holders. On the panel, moderated by Margarida Vaqueiro Lopes , from Exame magazine, were Luís Souto (Vice-President of APENO), António Mendonça Mendes (who at the time of this event was leaving the portfolio of Fiscal Affairs to assume the position of Deputy Minister of prime minister), and António Abrantes (Secretary General of the Confederation of Tourism of Portugal) and Alexandre Mestre (Co-Head of the Agro-Food sector at Abreu Advogados).
The problems, identified since the founding of the association, involve not only the fiscal and legal framework for Enotourism, but also the very definition of Enotourism, since there are several and none of them are up to date. Thus, APENO has already launched its own definition, which it considers to be the most accurate and objective: «Enotourism is an aggregation of tourist activities that focus on the experience motivated by the appreciation of wines, associated with local traditions and culture, whether in a rural or urban”.
Then, working to quantify the sector is urgent, to know what it’s really worth. All participants in the debate welcomed this same quantification, with the General Secretary stating that it is «… of Economic Activity)…».
Thus, APENO has already prepared a dossier proposal to present to the INE, in order to be able to frame Enotourism which, as the Secretary of State rightly said «is of great strategic importance for the country».
APENO will continue here, and always forward, in a serious commitment to organize the sector