In the Azores, only this territory has been awarded the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, created by the Europarc Federation for protected areas.
Since 2012, a predominant strategy has been implemented regarding the regional tourism development, promoting a sustainable development use of its territory. CETS also allows tourism entrepreneurs to be involved in these area protection dynamics through the brand “Marca Priolo”, a certification that can be found in various local services.
Lands of Priolo, which also includes the neighboring municipality of Povoação, with almost half of its territory in the São Miguel Island Natural Park, owes its name to the unique presence of the Priolo, an endemic bird restricted to the high-altitude areas of these two territories.