Afonso Teixeira

Afonso has been a surf tourist for over ten years and worked in the surf tourism industry as a surf instructor for six years, which allowed him to get a deep practical understanding of the issues surrounding the development of this form of tourism, both on the demand and the supply sides. Having identified the threats to the sustainability of the growing global surf tourism industry, Afonso embarked on a Master’s in Sustainable Tourism Management, which culminated in a study on the sustainable development of surfing tourism in Peniche, Portugal. The study was performed in partnership between the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria and the Center for Surf Research, and has resulted in an extensive report for the local Municipality. As part of the research for this study, Afonso has teamed up with Dr. Jess Ponting during a five-month stay in San Diego, where he has also been a part of the creation of the STOKE Certified criteria for surfing destinations, leading to his role as the liaison between STOKE and the Municipality of Peniche during the benchmarking of the destination.