🇵🇹 Portugal ,good job in Coastal Management
December 2025 - While Europe, with its privileged kilometers of coastline, debates regulations and uses of its coastline, neighboring Portugal is positioning itself as an example of adaptation, care, and intelligent promotion of its coastal space, even with often more challenging topography and wind conditions. The Portuguese strategy, focused on sustainable exploitation and economic activation through water sports, is highlighting a lack of vision and dynamism in Spanish coastal management.
The difference is notable and materializes in concrete projects that are transforming entire areas into centers of global attraction and local dynamism.
🏄♂️ The Surf Phenomenon and Active Tourism
Portugal has managed to capitalize on the power of the Atlantic Ocean, even where its winds are most aggressive and its waves most powerful.
Peniche: The Surfing Capital of the World. What was once a fishing village is now an international mecca thanks to waves like Supertubos. Peniche not only hosts events on the World Surf League (WSL) circuit but has built an entire infrastructure of schools, specialized hospitality, and services centered around this sport. It’s a complete ecosystem of active tourism.
Nazaré and the Giant Waves. The small town has catapulted to global fame thanks to the world's largest wave, attracting big wave riders and thousands of tourists annually. This extreme positioning has generated an incalculable economic and media boost. The emergence of a high-level glamping site in Nazaré underscores the strategy of offering quality accommodations that integrate with the coastal experience.
Viana do Castelo and the Wind Axis. In the north, Viana do Castelo has reinvented itself thanks to windsurfing and kitesurfing. Projects like Feel Viana are not mere hotels but authentic centers of high performance and leisure that exploit the local wind conditions. The recent acquisition and transformation of Camping Orbitur into a modern glamping site respond to a clear strategy: attracting young, active, and environmentally conscious tourists while promoting good sporting habits among local youth.
Investment and Quality Seal
The most recent and powerful case is Sandra Ortega's investment in Comporta. The businesswoman, through her holding company Rosp Corunna, has raised the stakes for quality tourism on the Portuguese coast, finalizing the opening of her mega-resort this spring.
This dynamic project not only seeks luxury but also cultural promotion and sustainability, injecting prestigious capital that further boosts Portugal's progress as a high-value destination.
This wave of investment and activation contrasts with the rigidity and bureaucratic hurdles that often hinder similar initiatives on the Spanish coast, where the coastal law and lack of coordination between administrations complicate the execution of development projects.
Lesson from Portugal: It's not just about having a beautiful coastline but knowing how to interpret it and offer an added value experience. The Portuguese success lies in the commitment to quality infrastructure, sports specialization (surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing), and the ability to attract large investments that respect the environment while energizing it. Spain has the geography; Portugal is setting the example of how to manage it.