A New Chapter for This Newsletter... And for Me

Why I’m Writing Destination Architects And Why Now

I never planned to work in tourism.

Not in the traditional sense.

I didn’t come from a hotel background.

I didn’t study destination marketing (even though I love it)

I wasn’t trained inside a ministry or a tourism board.

My background is building communities, connecting people, and creating movements.

And yet, somehow, life led me to reshape the economic future of entire regions.

It started in Madeira.

When I arrived in Ponta do Sol in 2020, the island was empty.

Tourism had collapsed. Locals were scared. Businesses were struggling.

Everyone was asking what would happen next season, not realizing the entire concept of “seasons” had become obsolete.

There was no playbook.

No blueprint.

No approved strategy for what I was about to do.

But one idea was clear:

If we could create community, we could create economic stability.

We didn’t build a campaign.

We built a village.

A living, breathing ecosystem where remote workers, entrepreneurs, locals, families, and innovators connected and stayed.

And suddenly:

• Madeira became the #1 digital nomad success story in the world

• 25,000+ long-stay visitors per year

• €30M+ direct nnual economic impact

• International press from CNN to the New York Times

• A waiting list of destinations asking: “Can you help us do the same?”

It didn’t happen because of marketing.

It happened because of community design.

We reimagined what a destination could be.

And the moment Madeira proved it was possible, everything changed.

From that point on, the world opened its doors.

Governments, ministers, DMO directors, hotel CEOs, developers, and city leaders began inviting me to the table:

• Brazil, from Rio to Pipa, to rethink tourism for long-term stays

• Japan, from Fukuoka to Nagasaki, to help craft their nomad ecosystem vision

• Portugal, building community-driven hubs in Porto, Albufeira and more

• Cape Verde, exploring new destination models for Africa

• And now Roatán, where I serve as CEO of the Tourism Bureau and lead a full transformation

Everywhere I go, I see the same thing:

Destinations are stuck between what tourism was…

and what tourism is becoming.

And almost no one is talking about it with the strategic clarity the industry desperately needs.

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Why Destinations Are Struggling Right Now

Let me tell you what I see, from inside the rooms where decisions happen:

1. The old tourism model is broken.

Marketing campaigns don’t create long-stay value.

Destinations spend millions to attract people for 4–7 days, then start from zero the next week.

2. Airlines now determine economic futures.

One route can create (or remove) tens of millions in annual impact.

Most DMOs don’t understand airline economics.

Ryanair alone changed whole economies in Europe.

3. Talent is mobile and destinations are not ready.

Governments want digital nomads, remote workers, and founders…

but have no infrastructure to host them.

Zero community.

4. Seasonality is killing local economies.

Hotels empty. Restaurants close. Workers leave.

This is not a “tourism problem.”

It’s an economic architecture problem.

5. Destination marketing has hit diminishing returns.

You can’t out-market Dubai.

You can’t out-budget a global OTA.

You can’t out-spend AI-driven platforms.

Destinations need to differentiate by design, not promotion.

6. Community is now an economic engine.

Destinations that build community → retain people → attract talent → reduce seasonality → improve ecosystem health.

Those that don’t?

They compete on price.

7. Governments need strategic intelligence — not slogans.

Ministers, DMOs, and policymakers want to evolve…

but the industry still gives them “Top 10 beaches” instead of frameworks, models, and real strategy.

This is the gap.

This is the pain.

This is the exact reason Destination Architects exists.

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Why I’m Writing Destination Architects

Because I’ve seen how destinations transform when they shift from marketing to architecture.

Because I’ve lived the before and after!
From empty streets during lockdown to global destination success stories in months.

Because I’ve spent the last years building ecosystems across continents.

Because I’ve tested what works, and what doesn’t.

Because I’ve seen first-hand how policy, community, airlift, and experience design change entire economies.

But most importantly:

Because the playbook I used in Madeira, Porto, Japan, Brazil, and Roatán has never been written down.

And now it’s time to share it.

Destination Architects is my attempt to give the industry what I wish existed when I started:

A strategic, practitioner-led briefing for the people building tomorrow’s destinations.

Not tourism content.

Not travel inspiration.

Not marketing theory.

But architecture:

• Economic architecture

• Airline architecture

• Remote economy architecture

• Community architecture

• Experience architecture

• Policy architecture

• Destination architecture

The future of tourism belongs to destinations that understand this shift.

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What You Will Get Here Every Week

Destination Architects will deliver:

✔ One deep strategic idea

The kind of thinking that shapes governments and long-term economic plans.

✔ Field notes from real projects

Roatán, Japan, Brazil, Portugal, Cape Verde, and beyond.

✔ Global destination signals

The trends ministers and DMOs should be watching.

✔ Case studies from the world’s smartest destinations

Why some places win, and others don’t.

✔ Tools and frameworks you can use immediately

From airlift leverage models to community-driven economic design.

✔ A final insight to guide decision-making

Clear, strategic, and rooted in real-world experience.

This is not a newsletter.

It’s a strategic briefing.

A tool for leaders.

A playbook for the next generation of destination builders.

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My Promise To You

This publication will be:

• Honest

• Useful

• Strategic

• Global

• Operator-led

• Zero fluff

• Deeply practical

• Built from real experience

If you’re here, you’re not just part of a newsletter.

You’re part of a movement redefining the future of destinations.

Welcome to Destination Architects.

Let’s build the next decade of tourism, together.