When asked if there was anything else João Filipo Guedes, a 25-year-old student getting his masters in translation at ISCAP, wanted to add about himself he shook his head and responded that he was “just a regular person.”

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Perhaps this is true, as he has “traditional goals” for the future: having a steady income, buying a house in Porto, and developing his relationship with his girlfriend, Reta. It would be easy to label João as a regular person, but after speaking to him for merely ten minutes, one quickly learns this is not the case.

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The first thing that stands out about João is his natural confidence and comfort speaking with new people. He stands tall and wi an easy smile, making those speaking with him feel at ease immediately. Working at a tourist office in downtown Porto, Portugal, having people skills is key to his success.

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João genuinely enjoys working in tourism. “It’s not just about selling,” he explains, “it’s about making the person feel welcome in the city, and I really enjoy that.”

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After all, his welcoming nature was evident in his willingness to speak about his future with three American strangers. João instantly agreed to speak about his goals and leaned against his desk as he animatedly described them.

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Although his dreams may sound run of the mill, João believes they “would really fulfill [him] as a person,” and all of his dreams focus on creating a better life for himself. He talks about how hard his parents worked to give him a life better than their own, and how he does not want to squander the opportunities he has been given. He hopes to achieve his dreams by becoming a hotel manager, not only because of the better income, but also because he believes that with more responsibility, the work will be more rewarding. He plans on staying in Porto because “tourism is blooming.” And he is right. According to the Association of Local Lodging in Porto (ALEP), the number of passengers in the Porto airport in 2005 was approximately 3 million, which seems small when compared to the more than 8 million passengers in 2015. From 2014 to 2015 alone the rate of increase was 16.7%. On top of all that, just last year, Forbes published an article about why Porto was the city to visit in 2017.

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While João is excited about all of the incoming tourists, as it is his line of business, he does have his concerns about tourism.

"I wouldn't have dreamed that, five years ago, Portugal would be like this. The city starts to become very modern, starts losing its charm, and then also makes it... lose the main point of why it was awarded [European Best Destination 2017] as well. Everything has its upsides and downsides."

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For João, like many other Porto citizens, it is difficult to know the balance between encouraging tourism, as it is providing many jobs, and fighting to keep the culture of Porto. There is no easy or right answer; only time will tell what will become of Porto.