Trancoso

Yesterday - preservation was always key to Trancoso's cultural identity and quality of life.

The village of São João Batista dos Índios was founded by Jesuit priests in 1583 and was home for a period to a mission. The town never expanded significantly and spent centuries in relative isolation, developing a peaceful and timeless lifestyle built around fishing, farming, and craft with locals and a small number of visitors living in harmony with nature and tradition.

By the 1970's the first hippies began to arrive, walking along the beaches from Porto Seguro. Already known as Trancoso the village offered an idyllic way of life to newcomers, who were enchanted by the local receptivity and the communal way of life.

Even though at the time Trancoso had no electricity or running water, members of the arts and counter-culture movement slowly began to settle in, living plainly and provoking an unique cultural exchange that introduced locals to modernity with a 'hippie twist', enjoying macrobiotic food and brown rice long before trying out processed foods.

In those years an ideal balance was struck between outsiders who loved their new home, but recognized the threat urbanization could bring to it, and local families wise enough over the centuries to preserve their traditions and craft, and willing to join together to guarantee the arrival of the 21st century and Trancoso's inevitable expansing would not make it lose its magic.

Membros da OTT promovem o destino internacionalmente e trabalham com ênfase nas melhores práticas trabalhistas e ambientais, e nos últimos anos adicionaram às praias de Trancoso significativa infraestrutura turística, de maneira cuidadosa e frequentemente em substituição a antigas barracas e bares que operavam de maneira informal. 

Today - a growing tourism fame and sustainability initiatives.

The Quadrado, Trancoso's heart and historical center, is internationally recognized for its singularities kept preserved over decades. The emblematic Saint John Baptiste church, or "Quadrado's little white church", the colorful houses, the pedestrian-only grass expanse and the wide view over sea and mangrove are all iconic postcards of Trancoso, responsible for the immense appeal of the destination.

2015's Quadrado's Code of Conduct for tourism companies, hotels, restaurants and shops located on the historic town square was an important step forward in adapting uniform best practices, relying on enforcement by municipal officials.

In recent years Trancoso's beaches have received significant tourism infrastructure (frequently replacing tents and guesthouses operating informally) with professional operators and associates of OTT who promote the destination globally and work with emphasis on labor and environmental best-practices.

Tomorrow - a 30-year plan for growth and adaptation to climate change.

OTT members believe tomorrow can hold prosperity and harmony through planning, an urban growth projection of 30-years which considers equally the dreams of visitors and residents alike, allowing each to love Trancoso as its always been loved for its total authenticity and one-of-a-kind sense of place. World-class conservation partners are being enlisted to help in this process in 2025.