"One of the best cases of good conservation of built heritage, strong social/cultural integration, and fantastic countryside for its aesthetic appeal."
"Everything is fine in Évora, because it is too far away from the beach which fosters the main tourism in Portugal."
"Évora is the model that all World Heritage sites ought to follow. The primary beneficiaries of their historic resources are the citizens. Visitors are accommodated appropriately, and citizens have steadfastly resisted a scale of development that would diminish the quality of the ancient city."
"Interpretation of the site for the visitor is reasonable, although guiding is not as readily available as might be expected.The clustering of historic buildings certainly enhances the aesthetic appeal of the destination. However, the town itself appears to be struggling to accommodate the number of day visitors and the authenticity is likely to be affected."
"Sintra has managed to preserve its architectural heritage while at the same time engaging the community in sustainable tourism activity. The historic area has its share of touristy restaurants and gift shops, however, real people and families still live in the upstairs sections of those houses. Likewise, many palaces are open to tourists, but many others are still the weekend getaway of choice for many aristocratic families—not much has changed during the last few centuries."
"Beautiful location and built heritage. However, as the place is very small, tourism becomes more of a nuisance to the place, turning it into a souvenir selling site where people spend a couple of hours. Not sustainable in the long-term."
"The site has developed significantly for tourism in the past ten years, but has maintained most of its original character.Traffic in the center and parking are difficult. The botanical gardens and treed vistas have been very well maintained."
"Sintra is one of the few World Heritage sites where a balance is achieved between heritage preservation, tourism development, and local life. Tourism congestion is obvious ... however, the built heritage is very carefully preserved by the local government, with support from the national government and Portuguese NGOs. Further, Sintra is still very much alive. Tourism services and crafts are controlled by local entrepreneurs."
