The municipal council of Lagoa is stepping up efforts to position itself as a leading destination for business tourism and major events as it prepares to reopen the Centro de Congressos do Arade (Lagoa Congress Centre) in May.
Last week, the municipality hosted representatives from the congress and events sector as part of a promotional initiative focused on the venue, which was abandoned and vandalised for years before being purchased by the local council. The programme included guided visits to the congress centre, local hotels and other “strategic locations” across the municipality, allowing participants to assess Lagoa’s accommodation capacity and range of services available to support events.
Mayor Luís Encarnação described the congress centre as a “strategic asset for the municipality’s future”, stressing that its reopening will strengthen its “ambition to establish Lagoa as a leading destination for business tourism and events”. He said the promotional work is already producing results, with several events confirmed for after the reopening, including the 32nd National Congress of Internal Medicine in May 2026 and the AHRESP (Hotel, Restaurant and Similar Businesses Association) National Congress in October – which the mayor says is proof of the “sector’s confidence in this infrastructure and our municipality.”
The Lagoa Congress Centre is being presented as a “modern, multifunctional venue capable of hosting national and international events”. Local authorities believe it will help boost the local economy, reduce tourism seasonality and enhance the overall value of the territory.
With this initiative, the municipality says it is reinforcing the MICE segment as a key pillar of Lagoa’s long-term development strategy, aiming to increase the town’s visibility on the national and international events circuit.
The Lagoa Congress Centre (previously named the Arade Congress Centre) was inaugurated in 2007 with the goal of becoming a leading venue for all kinds of events. It was owned by a group of entities, including the regional tourism board, local councils and private companies, but eventually faced financial hardships which led to its abandonment for many years. Over time, neglect and vandalism took their toll on the building, which was purchased by the municipal council of Lagoa in 2022 with the promise of restoring it.
Now, four years later, the congress centre is just five months away from its much-anticipated revival.
