IPDT® - Turismo

What IPDT® - Turismo does

IPDT® - Turismo is a privately held Portuguese tourism consulting firm headquartered in Porto, operating under the legal entity IPDT Consulting – Investigação, Planeamento e Desenvolvimento, Lda. (NIF: 505 299 402). Founded around 2001, the firm has operated for 25 years with an 18-employee multidisciplinary team delivering an integrated consulting offer across the entire tourism value chain — from research and concept definition through strategy, implementation, and monitoring. Service pillars include Strategy and Marketing (strategic plans, branding, product development), Sustainability (certification, sustainability plans, decarbonization), Communication and Design (digital marketing, communication materials, events, promotional videos), Studies and Monitoring (economic feasibility, event evaluation, market studies), and Heritage Classification (UNESCO and PCI inventory applications).

The firm monetises through three revenue streams: (1) professional services fees from public and private clients (predominantly Portuguese municipalities and regional tourism authorities) delivered via direct B2B sales and public tenders; (2) publication sales (physical and digital) of the annual Revista de Tendências em Turismo, the quarterly Barómetro do Turismo, and related research products, distributed through the company's own e-commerce storefront (ipdt.pt/loja/); and (3) revenue-generating event activities centred on the annual IPDT Tourism Conference, which in 2026 was restructured as a national roadshow. Technology consists of standard martech tooling (MailChimp, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Google Ads, EuPago payments, CTT shipping) rather than proprietary platforms. The firm's defensible assets are its 77-edition Tourism Barometer, 19-edition Trends Magazine, ISO 9001 quality certification, Affiliate Member status with UN Tourism and the GSTC, and a 2011 Tourism Merit Medal from the Portuguese Government.

Name

IPDT® - Turismo

Legal name

IPDT Consulting – Investigação, Planeamento e Desenvolvimento, Lda.

Website

https://ipdt.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IPDT® - Turismo is a Porto-based, privately held Portuguese tourism consulting firm offering integrated strategic planning, sustainability certification, branding, and heritage advisory services to municipalities, regional authorities, and private tourism operators across Portugal and Lusophone markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Porto

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tourism Consulting Services: Fees charged to public and private entities for strategic planning, marketing, sustainability certification, communication design, heritage classification, economic viability studies, and monitoring services. Delivered across all phases of the strategic cycle — from concept definition to implementation and results monitoring.
2. Publications (Magazines and Reports): Sale of physical and digital magazines, including the annual Revista de Tendências em Turismo (Tourism Trends Magazine) and the Tourism Barometer. Available through the online store at ipdt.pt/loja/ with pricing in euros including VAT.
3. Events (Conference and Roadshow): Revenue-generating conference activities including the annual IPDT Tourism Conference (now restructured as a national roadshow). May include sponsorship, ticket sales, and partner participation fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IPDT is a tourism consulting firm that delivers an integrated service across the entire tourism value chain — research, concept definition, product development, strategy formulation, action plan implementation, and result monitoring. Its service portfolio spans strategic plans, tourism branding, sustainability certification (e.g., EarthCheck/GSTC), decarbonization plans, digital marketing, communication design, event organization, economic feasibility studies, and UNESCO/Intangible Cultural Heritage classification. The firm also publishes the annual Revista de Tendências em Turismo, the quarterly Barómetro do Turismo, and hosts the annual IPDT Tourism Conference.

Product overview

IPDT® - Turismo is a tourism consulting firm offering an integrated service across the entire tourism value chain—from research and concept definition to product development, strategic planning, action plan implementation, and result monitoring. The core offering consists of consulting services organized into five main pillars: Strategy and Marketing (strategic plans, tourism branding, product development, marketing plans), Sustainability (certification, sustainability strategies, decarbonization plans), Communication and Design (digital marketing, communication materials, event organization, promotional videos), Studies and Monitoring (economic feasibility, event evaluation, market studies, digital performance), and Heritage Classification (UNESCO applications, National Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory). The company also publishes independent thought leadership products including the annual Revista de Tendências em Turismo (Tourism Trends Magazine since 2007), the quarterly Barómetro do Turismo (Tourism Barometer), and hosts the annual IPDT Tourism Conference. The company operates an online store for publications and manages the IPDT Tourism Conference as a national roadshow event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Tourism Development Plans (Planos Estratégicos de Turismo)

Quantifiable outcome

• 900+ tourism development projects completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EarthCheckcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021EarthCheck is the leading sustainable destination certification body selected by IPDT to certify Portuguese destinations. IPDT acts as technical advisor guiding destinations (e.g., Melgaço) through the EarthCheck certification process, which is accredited by GSTC. In February 2022, EarthCheck certified Melgaço at Silver level.
• UN TourismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPDT holds formal Affiliate Member status with UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO), the United Nations specialised agency for tourism. This membership provides access to global tourism policy frameworks, international networks, and the ability to contribute to and benefit from the organisation's research and development initiatives.
• Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPDT holds Affiliate Member status with the GSTC, the body responsible for managing global standards for sustainable tourism. This affiliation underpins IPDT's sustainability certification advisory practice and its ability to guide destinations through GSTC-accredited certification processes (e.g., EarthCheck).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group: Global hospitality consulting and advisory arm of JLL. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the tourism/hospitality consulting space, offering overlapping destination and asset strategy services.
• Horwath HTL: Global hotel, tourism, and leisure consultancy network. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering hospitality and tourism strategy, feasibility, and asset advisory across many geographies.
• CBI Tourism (Centre for the Promotion of Imports): Dutch-based development agency providing destination strategy and sustainable tourism programme advisory to public sector clients. Comparable in serving public tourism entities with consulting, capacity building, and market intelligence.

Direct peers

• Toposophy: Tourism strategy and destination branding consultancy headquartered in Barcelona. Directly comparable as a specialist tourism/destination management consulting firm serving public entities and DMOs on strategy, branding, and product development.
• Totem Tourism: Tourism strategy and marketing consultancy working with destinations and tourism organisations. Comparable as a specialist boutique consulting firm serving public tourism entities on strategy and branding.
• TEAM Tourism Consulting: International tourism consultancy offering destination strategy, marketing, and capacity-building services. Direct peer in the niche tourism consulting space, particularly active in European and emerging-market destinations.
• THR Tourism Industry Advisors: Iberian hospitality and tourism consultancy (THR) offering feasibility studies, strategy, and asset advisory. Directly comparable in providing tourism consulting, economic viability, and strategy work in Southern European markets.

Emerging players

• EarthCheck: Sustainable tourism certification body with which IPDT partners to certify destinations. Comparable as a player in the sustainable tourism certification ecosystem IPDT serves as technical advisor for.

Others

• UN Tourism (UNWTO): United Nations specialised agency for tourism. IPDT holds Affiliate Member status; comparable as the policy and standards ecosystem that frames IPDT's destination development and sustainability advisory.

Regional players

• Braintrust (Portugal): Portuguese management and tourism consultancy. Comparable as a regional peer in the Iberian tourism consulting market, particularly for destination strategy, branding, and public-sector clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ipdturismo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ipdt5624
• Facebookfacebook.com/ipdturismo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ipdt
• Instagraminstagram.com/ipdt_turismo

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IPDT® - Turismo