António Jorge Costa holds a degree in Public Management and Administration from the Technical University of Lisbon and a PhD in Strategic Planning from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom. He is the co-founder and President of the Institute for Tourism Planning and Development – IPDT (www.ipdt.pt).
He is the Global Trends Editor of the Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes journal, published by Emerald Group; a member of the Expert Panel for the UNWTO Barometer; a member of the Advisory Board of Porto Airport; and a board member of the Porto Tourism Association.
From January 2017 to July 2019, he served as a Tourism Strategy Development Specialist at the World Bank Group, where he was responsible for developing the Strategic and Marketing Plan for Tourism in São Tomé and Príncipe.
In academia, he was Professor of Strategic Management, Director of the PhD Programme in Business Sciences, and Pro-Rector for Academic Affairs at Fernando Pessoa University in Porto, Portugal.
Among the academic activities carried out, the following stand out: Visiting Professor / Researcher at Bournemouth University and the University of Surrey (United Kingdom); University of the Algarve, University of Aveiro, University of the Azores, ISCTE / INDEG Business School, Portuguese Catholic University, International Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management – IHTTI (Neuchâtel, Switzerland), Lutheran University of Brazil, and Catholic University of Fortaleza (Brazil).
Regional Editor for Southern Europe and Latin America of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (Emerald), from 1997 to 2013.
Regional Director of the Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Trends (WHATT) project, sponsored by the HCIMA (United Kingdom), aimed at developing applied research and consultancy in the fields of tourism, commercial aviation, hospitality, and travel, bringing together research centres from across all continents.
Member of the External Evaluation Committee of the Foundation of Portuguese Universities (Ministry of Education).
He has been an active contributor to international journals and conference proceedings (over a hundred publications), as well as three academic books in the fields of management, marketing, and tourism. He has also served as a peer reviewer for leading academic journals such as Management Decision, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Annals of Tourism Research, and The Academy of Management Journal.
In the years preceding his academic work, he held positions as Marketing and Sales Director and Product Group Manager in two of Portugal’s largest economic groups. He continues to carry out applied research and consultancy work, having provided advisory services to organisations such as the British Council, Accor/Amorim Group, Vila Galé Group, Sheraton, TAP Portugal, Azores Tourism Observatory, Ministry of Tourism and Energy of Cabo Verde, Office of the Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of Angola, Regional Governments of the Azores and Madeira, Directorate-General for Tourism of São Tomé and Príncipe, the World Bank Group, UNDP, UNCTAD, and UNWTO.
He served as a member of the International Board of Advisers of the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality of the Ministry of Tourism of Sri Lanka; the Tourism Sector Council of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Portugal; and the Strategic Council of the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP).
In September 2011, together with the IPDT team, he received the Portuguese Government’s Medal of Tourism Merit in recognition of outstanding services to the tourism sector.

With a degree and a PhD in Chemistry from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, he is the founder and Executive Director of IPDT.
He began his professional career as a senior manager at the SONAE Portugal, working in the field of quality management. He later served as Visiting Professor in Market Research at ISCTE (Portugal) and as Associate Professor at Fernando Pessoa University from 1997 to 2012. He has supervised master’s and doctoral theses in Portugal and Brazil, published two books and several scientific articles, and coordinated numerous market studies conducted by IPDT. He has also contributed to the development of strategic and marketing plans for both public and private clients.<br>Since 2002, he has been actively involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of sustainability certification programmes for tourism businesses and destinations. With extensive experience in applied research in the tourism sector, he has taught Chemistry, Statistics, Quantitative Methods, Quality Tools, and Market Research.<br>Since 1999, he has led various consultancy, market research, and training projects for internationally renowned organisations in the tourism industry. He currently serves as Project Leader in Advisory for the Governments of the Azores and Madeira and for the Municipalities of Melgaço and Guimarães, supporting the sustainable certification of these destinations under EarthCheck, an accredited certification body recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
As a specialist in certification processes, with in-depth knowledge of various national and international certification standards, particularly in sustainability and heritage, he serves as IPDT’s coordinator for this field.

Holds a degree in Marketing, a postgraduate qualification in European Tourism Management, and a Master’s in Management. Completed an MBA in the United Kingdom and worked as a consultant for multinational groups operating in the pharmaceutical, electronics, petrochemical, and tourism sectors, where coordinated and developed projects in customer service and consumer behaviour, strategic planning, and marketing and communication.
She was a lecturer and researcher at Bournemouth and Surrey universities in the United Kingdom, having developed continuing education and action learning initiatives at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Has been active in the tourism sector since 2000 and is a founding member of IPDT (www.ipdt.pt), an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, specialising in research and consultancy within the tourism industry.
Currently in the role of Executive Director of IPDT for Marketing and Development, she also holds the position of Marketing Director for the annual yearbook ‘O Turismo em’; and serves as editor of the annual special issue of WHATT – World Hospitality and Tourism Themes.
Her expertise covers tourism destination management, strategic tourism marketing, destination branding, product and experience development, sustainable tourism, community engagement (residents and stakeholders), and digital strategy and communication.

Holds extensive experience in the tourism sector, acquired through the coordination and execution of consultancy projects for national and international clients across the public and private sectors. The professional focus lies in the development of tourism destinations and enterprises – including product creation, market expansion, investment attraction, and branding strategies. The role is positioned as an interface between strategic development and the implementation of actions, assessed in relation to the achievement of objectives and the surpassing of targets.

With a degree in Business Management, she has been part of IPDT since March 2005 and currently serves as Administrative and Financial Director. In this role, she supports the Executive Board and oversees the company’s administrative, financial, logistical, and human resources management.
She coordinates the Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring its implementation, monitoring and continuous improvement. She leads internal audit processes, promotes team training, and guarantees compliance with established procedures and the organisation’s Quality Policy.
She also collaborates in the area of Market Research, with solid experience in data collection and analysis within the tourism sector. She has contributed to several strategic projects developed by IPDT, notably the Profile Study of Tourists Visiting Porto and Northern Portugal. Her work has also included destination awareness analyses, event evaluation and monitoring, and the assessment of communication impact, in collaboration with organisations such as the Intermunicipal Community of the Aveiro Region, Turismo Centro de Portugal, the FC Porto Museum, and Guimarães 2012 – European Capital of Culture, among others.

Has been part of IPDT since March 2003. With a background in Digital Marketing, she began her professional career in data collection and analysis, developing monitoring and market research projects within the tourism sector.
Over the course of her career at IPDT, she transitioned into Web Development, specialising in back-end management and the back office of websites and digital platforms, combining strong expertise in Digital Marketing and SEO. Her experience includes database integration, as well as the management of WordPress and WooCommerce, ensuring the technical configuration and optimisation of websites for search engines.
In addition to web development, she is responsible for configuring and managing survey platforms, email marketing systems, digital campaign automation, and the management of Social Media Ads and Google Ads. Her expertise in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) ensures that all digital projects maximise their online visibility and performance.
She has played a key role in developing websites such as Sustainable Azores, Discover Melgaço, Cá no Minho, Barcelos pelas Mãos dos Mestres, I do! Braga, Threads of Gold – Póvoa de Lanhoso, Go2Nature, and Ria Viv’arte, combining technical structure with digital performance enhancement. She is also deeply involved in the operation and monitoring of Google Ads and Meta Ads campaigns for clients such as the FC Porto Museum, Alto Minho, and the Mondego-Bussaco brand. Additionally, she manages IPDT’s Online Store on WooCommerce.
In parallel, within the field of data collection and analysis, she coordinates the Tourism Barometer, a project that tracks the evolution of the sector by surveying more than 160 tourism decision-makers across Portugal. Between 2015 and 2025, she contributed to the monthly data collection and analysis of the Profile Study of Tourists Visiting Porto and Northern Portugal, helping to build a detailed understanding of the region’s visitors. She has also collaborated on numerous market research studies, analysing tourist profiles, destination awareness, and event evaluation and monitoring for entities such as the Intermunicipal Community of the Aveiro Region, the Municipality of Vagos, Turismo Centro de Portugal, and FC Porto.

With a degree in Communication Design from the School of Arts and Design of Matosinhos and a specialisation in Graphic Design and Editorial Projects from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, Ana has developed her career in the tourism and cultural sectors, focusing on visual identity, editorial design, web design, and museography.<br>
Between 2016 and 2020, she worked as a graphic designer on public sector tourism and cultural projects, notably contributing to the visual identity of 500 Years of the City of Tavira, the Alcoutim Municipal Museum, the Permanent Exhibition of the Mediterranean Diet, the 100 Years of Quarteira exhibition, and the Tavira Guides.
Since 2020, she has been part of the IPDT team, where she is responsible for the creative coordination of the organisation’s visual identity and the design of editorial projects, most notably the magazine Turismo Em. She has developed key projects such as the Vila Nova de Gaia tourism brand, Grande Rota 50 (Peneda-Gerês), Ria Viv’arte, Madeira Tão Sustentável, Melgaço + Sustentável, and the Gerês-Xurés Biosphere Reserve campaign.<br>In the editorial field, she has designed maps and guides for Melgaço, the Porto Region brochure, and the book Barco Moliceiro – A Heritage of the Ria.<br>She also has extensive experience in web design, having developed projects such as Cá no Minho, Barcelos pelas Mãos dos Mestres, I do! Braga, Threads of Gold, Go2Nature, Discover Melgaço, and Ria Viv’arte. In addition, she is responsible for producing strategic editorial content for the IPDT blog.
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With a degree in Geography and a Master’s in Geographic Information Systems and Territorial Planning from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto. She also completed a postgraduate qualification in Communication, Marketing, and Public Relations at the Porto School of Journalism.
She collaborates with IPDT as a consultant in the areas of Spatial Planning, Communication, and Sustainability. Since 2021, she has been part of the technical team responsible for the international certification of the Azores, Madeira, and Melgaço as sustainable tourism destinations, contributing to their implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
She has participated in several tourism planning projects, market studies, territorial analysis and planning initiatives, applied research, and sustainability certification processes. Her experience also includes participation in international MICE and leisure tourism networks, focusing on the connection between territorial strategies and communication.
Responsible for the management and production of editorial content for different audiences and channels, ensuring the creation, editing, and adaptation of informational and promotional materials for the press, blogs, newsletters, academic publications, guides, and eBooks. Also develops scripts and texts for audiovisual content, aligning them with communication objectives and media formats.<br>Contributes to the development of institutional and digital communication plans based on trend analysis, current issues, and topics of interest. Participates in public presentations, debate moderation, and institutional events, while also providing cross-functional support for the implementation of internal and external IPDT projects.