Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning 2020

2 2 COVER STORY The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus Do Monte was developed over a period of more than 600 years under the pressure of visitor numbers. Key measures that the tourism industry can implement to help mitigate the challenges include addressing the seasonality of tourism by spreading out guest numbers over the year, spreading visitors across sites and encouraging longer more in-depth experiences and limiting access to improve visitor flows and experiences. We would also encourage the industry to change marketing and promotion activities to focus on attracting fewer, high-spending and low-impact travellers who value culture and heritage, and promoting tourism products and services that reflect cultural values.” Several new coastal sites have recently been added to the list of World Heritage sites. Ottone recommends two that he thinks will appeal to cruise passengers in particular. “The recently inscribed site of Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity in Brazil encompasses the historic centre of Paraty (one of Brazil’s best-preserved coastal towns), four Brazilian Atlantic Forest protected natural areas, one of the world’s five key biodiversity hotspots, as well as part of the Serra da Bocaina mountain range and the Atlantic coastal region,” he says. “Another site is Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga in Portugal,” he continues. “Located on the slopes of Mount Espinho, overlooking the city of Braga just north of Porto, this cultural landscape evokes Christian Jerusalem, recreating a sacred mount crowned with a church. The sanctuary was developed over a period of more than 600 years, primarily in a Baroque style, and illustrates a European tradition of creating Sacri Monti, promoted by the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent in the 16th century, in reaction to the Protestant Reformation.” CFIP “The cruise industry helps Unesco continue to inspire visitors”