Preserving Portuguese Heritage through Sustainable Design: TUI Care Foundation Empowers Young Lisbon Designers

Tackling Mass Tourism’s Impact on Lisbon’s Cultural Fabric

Lisbon faces pressing challenges amid booming tourism growth, as mass tourism threatens to erode its authentic commercial heritage. Industrialized, imported souvenirs increasingly replace traditional Portuguese products, often raising environmental and ethical concerns.

TUI Colourful Cultures Lisbon: A Sustainable Design Initiative

In response, the TUI Care Foundation partnered with Admirável Reino – Associação (Escola do Largo) to launch the TUI Colourful Cultures Lisbon project. This initiative is dedicated to training 115 young adults (aged 18-38) in sustainable design practices that honor Portuguese cultural heritage while addressing environmental and social challenges in tourism.

Comprehensive Training and Creative Hub in Chiado District

Participants receive free tuition (for 60 financially vulnerable individuals) covering 12 specialized modules such as:

• Sustainable design principles
• Circular economy
• Fashion and product design
• Natural fabric dyeing
• Sustainable packaging
• Marketing and digital design
• Interior design and entrepreneurship

Based in Lisbon’s historic Chiado district, the program establishes a creative hub where young designers develop innovative, sustainable tourism products using traditional techniques.

Promoting Sustainable Products through Exhibitions and Industry Linkages

Monthly exhibitions at Escola do Largo showcase participants’ work to the public, directly connecting emerging designers with tourists and local tourism businesses. Additionally, study visits to sustainable hotels, suppliers, and design events provide hands-on insight into sustainable tourism practices.

Impact and Broader Goals

• Trains 115 young entrepreneurs with a focus on financial inclusion
• Organizes 22 events, including exhibitions and learning expeditions
• Supports the transformation of Lisbon’s tourism offering toward sustainability
• Creates high-quality, locally produced alternatives to mass-produced souvenirs
• Preserves authentic Portuguese culture within the tourism economy

About the Key Partners

TUI Care Foundation is an independent charitable organization founded by TUI, a global tourism leader, committed to empowering communities through sustainable tourism projects worldwide.

Admirável Reino – Associação (Escola do Largo) is a Lisbon-based non-profit focused on artistic creation, cultural programming, and training, emphasizing art’s role in social and political reflection.

By aligning sustainability with cultural preservation, the TUI Colourful Cultures Lisbon project exemplifies how tourism can support authentic local economies and protect heritage, ensuring a resilient future for Lisbon’s community and visitors alike.

For more information, visit: TUI Care Foundation

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