Cascais Visitors & Convention Bureau

What Cascais Visitors & Convention Bureau does

Cascais Visitors & Convention Bureau (legal name: Associação Turismo de Cascais, Visitors & Convention Bureau; operating as Visit Cascais) is a not-for-profit destination marketing organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Cascais, Portugal. It functions as the official tourism promotion body for the Cascais municipality, connecting domestic and international visitors with a curated ecosystem of 370+ partners including 36 hotels, restaurants, activity providers, and event venues. The organization serves multiple customer segments including leisure tourists, destination wedding couples, M&I/corporate event planners, golf enthusiasts, and foreign property buyers, with visitor diversity spanning 120+ nationalities.

The organization operates a multilingual (English/Portuguese) digital platform built around the visitcascais.com website, complemented by several sub-brands: Awe&Some Cascais (a 100% digital M&I booking platform organized by Hubs), Living in Cascais (a property-investment institutional initiative), Cascais for Tomorrow (a sustainability impact-calculator program), and Wedding Services. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the website and social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube), supplemented by a TimeOut Cascais editorial content partnership. The technology stack is web-based with e-commerce functionality (online shop with tiered international shipping), GDPR-compliant data handling supervised by Portugal's CNPD, and payment processing through Ifthenpay.

Visit Cascais is funded by a mix of public and private sources, operating as a hybrid not-for-profit association. Revenue mechanics span three streams: recurring partner membership subscriptions (associados.visitcascais.com), transaction-based commissions on event and M&I bookings routed through Awe&Some, and one-time online product sales (merchandise and tickets). The entity employs approximately 12 staff and does not disclose financials, funding rounds, or M&A activity. Its competitive position rests on official DMO status, the breadth of its partner network, destination brand assets (660 years of history, 30 km of coastline, 300+ days of sun, 30 minutes from Lisbon), and its event calendar of 1,000+ annual cultural, sports, and corporate gatherings.

Name

Cascais Visitors & Convention Bureau

Legal name

Associação Turismo de Cascais, Visitors & Convention Bureau

Website

https://visitcascais.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cascais Visitors & Convention Bureau is a not-for-profit destination marketing organization promoting Cascais, Portugal to leisure tourists, wedding couples, M&I planners, and foreign property buyers via a 370+ partner network, the Awe&Some M&I booking platform, and the visitcascais.com website.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing and Tourism Promotion Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Inbound/Local Retail Travel Agencies (Destination Booking Offices) (THAKABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hotel & Resort Convention Venues (Convention Hotels) (THAHAAAC)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Convention bureau services
• Tourism promotion services
• Event booking platform
• Wedding venue services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cascais

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Online Product Sales: The Visit Cascais online store sells products including merchandise and potentially experiences. Products can be shipped to various territories with delivery times varying by destination.
2. Partner Membership Program: Local businesses can become partners/members of the association to gain visibility and access to the tourism promotion network. The site features a 'Become a Partner' section linking to associados.visitcascais.com.
3. Event Services and Booking Commission: The Awe&Some platform facilitates bookings for M&I events, weddings, and other occasions, potentially earning commission on bookings made through the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cascais Visitors & Convention Bureau (Visit Cascais) is the official destination marketing organization for Cascais, Portugal. It operates a multilingual digital platform connecting visitors with a network of 370+ partner hotels, restaurants, activity providers, and event venues. Core offerings include the Awe&Some Cascais digital booking platform for M&I events, destination wedding planning services, an online shop for merchandise and tickets, the Living Cascais property/relocation initiative, and the Cascais for Tomorrow sustainability program.

Product overview

Visit Cascais operates a multi-faceted digital platform consisting of the main tourism website (Visit Cascais), the Awe&Some digital booking platform for M&I events, the Living Cascais property initiative, the Cascais for Tomorrow sustainability program, wedding planning services, and a curated partner network. The ecosystem is complemented by an online shop for tickets and merchandise, all unified under the Associação Turismo de Cascais, Visitors & Convention Bureau organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Awe&Some Cascais: A 100% digital platform for streamlining bookings and attracting medium to large-scale events in the Meetings Industry segment, showcasing the region's offerings organized by Hubs.
• Living in Cascais
• Cascais For Tomorrow

Products and services

• Awe&Some Cascais Platform A 100% digital platform for streamlining bookings and attracting medium to large-scale events in the Meetings Industry (M&I) segment. Showcases the region's full range of offerings organized by Hubs, allowing corporate event planners to find and book hotels, services, and venues.
• Visit Cascais Website & Partner Directory The main digital hub promoting Cascais as a tourism destination, featuring a partner directory of hotels, restaurants, activity providers, and event venues, plus information about golf, coworking, events, and weddings.
• Living Cascais An institutional initiative promoting Cascais as a top location for property investment and relocation abroad, helping foreigners find homes and make property investments in the region.
• Cascais for Tomorrow Sustainability Initiative A sustainability initiative enabling visitors to calculate the environmental impact of their stay and support local projects that protect and preserve Cascais for future generations.
• Wedding Services Destination wedding planning services connecting couples with a curated network of wedding venues, wedding planners, travel agents, and luxury hotels in Cascais for dream wedding celebrations.
• Partner Network Membership Program A managed membership program enabling local businesses (hotels, restaurants, activity providers, golf courses, event venues) to become partners and gain visibility, traffic, and access to the destination's tourism promotion network.
• Visit Cascais Online Shop An e-commerce platform for purchasing event tickets, merchandise, and experiences directly through the Visit Cascais website, with shipping to domestic and international destinations and payment via ATM, MB WAY, and credit card.

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TimeOut CascaiscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerContent partnership featuring TimeOut Cascais articles on the Visit Cascais website showcasing dining experiences, new restaurant openings, and local lifestyle content including chefs to watch and afternoon dining spots.
• CNPD (National Data Protection Commission)coreOthersPortuguese data protection authority supervising Visit Cascais compliance with Regulation No. 2016/679 (GDPR) and Law No. 58/2019.
• Ifthenpay, LdaminorOthersPayment services provider handling payment methods and transactions, supervised and registered with Bank of Portugal under No. 8707 with VAT PT 510 450 024.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Algarve Tourism Bureau (Turismo do Algarve): Regional tourism promotion body for Portugal's leading coastal destination, the Algarve. Directly comparable in function: regional destination marketing, partner network management, and leisure/MICE promotion — competing with Cascais for inbound tourist spend to Portugal's coast.
• Visit Porto & North: Portuguese regional tourism promotion entity covering the north of Portugal. Comparable as a publicly-supported destination marketing organization operating a partner network and event/convention promotion mandate in direct competition for inbound Portugal tourism share.
• Copenhagen Convention Bureau: MICE-focused convention bureau serving the Copenhagen region. Comparable in operating model — municipal/regional convention bureau promoting meetings and events to international corporate clients — providing a benchmark for Cascais' Awe&Some platform ambitions.
• Barcelona Convention Bureau: Municipal CVB dedicated to promoting Barcelona as a destination for meetings, incentives, conferences, and events. Closely comparable to Visit Cascais' Awe&Some vertical and the M&I segment of Cascais' business; both target medium-to-large corporate event planners with digital booking infrastructure.
• Visit Lisbon: Lisbon's official tourism promotion body and visitors bureau, covering the capital region that immediately neighbors and supplies overflow demand to Cascais. It is the most directly comparable Portuguese CVB operating the same destination-marketing mandate and partner-network model.

Emerging players

• Visit Dubai (Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing): Government-backed destination marketing organization promoting Dubai's luxury, MICE, and leisure tourism globally. Comparable as a digitally-led destination marketing bureau with significant luxury hotel partnerships and an active MICE segment, although at substantially larger scale.

Regional players

• Visit Flanders: Regional destination marketing organization for the Flanders region of Belgium. Comparable in structure — regional CVB promoting a defined geographic territory to inbound visitors and MICE buyers — though focused on Flanders rather than Cascais.

Broad incumbents

• Fáilte Ireland (National Tourism Development Authority): Ireland's national tourism authority, responsible for destination marketing across the entire country. Comparable as a publicly-funded destination marketing organization operating partner networks and promoting regions, but at national rather than municipal scale.
• Switzerland Tourism: National tourism marketing organization for Switzerland, promoting the country across leisure, MICE, and sustainability segments. Comparable as an established destination marketing organization with multiple verticals (leisure, MICE, sustainability), though operating at country scale.
• Madrid Destino Cultura Turismo y Negocio: Madrid's municipal destination marketing and convention bureau entity, responsible for promoting tourism, culture, and MICE. Comparable as a European capital-region CVB with overlapping MICE, leisure, and cultural event mandates against which Cascais' Awe&Some platform must compete.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EstorilLive
• Facebookfacebook.com/Welcome.cascais.live
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cascais-convention-bureau
• Instagraminstagram.com/visit_cascais

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cascais Visitors & Convention Bureau