By Veronika Pozmentier
This past summer, the City of Miami Beach transferred the leadership of the Sister Cities Program from the Office of the Mayor to the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce.
It was not long before the Chamber of Commerce, under the leadership of Jerry Libbin, took an active role by signing a Sister City Partnership Agreement with the magnificent tourist destination of Cascais, Portugal.
As a former sleepy seaside village much like Miami Beach, Cascais has grown into a playground for the rich and famous. Lined with exquisite mansions built in the late 1800’s during the development of the first railway, Cascis is known as the vacation destination for the Portuguese Royal Family as well as other European nobility.
The first Fleming‘s James Bond novel “Casino Royale” was actually inspired by the Casino Estoril in Cascais, which as known as the biggest European casino since its opening in 1916.
Today, the City of Cascais with a population of 210,500, belongs to a network of 16 Sister Cities among which include the Brazilian city of Salvador Bahia, Gaza under Palestinian Authority, Biarritz France and Wuxi China.
It is a global destination hosting international events such as The America’s Cup, The Estoril ATP Tennis Open and since 2006 The Longines Global Champions Tour; as well as the prestigious International Equestrian event in which Miami Beach has been welcoming since 2015.
Like Miami Beach, Cascais has a very luxurious and dynamic real estate market, a vibrant cultural scene with 7 museums and pristine beaches visited by over 2 million tourists a year.
During the first Sister City Committee meeting on September 17, 2019 The President & C.E.O. of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Jerry Libbin reaffirmed the commitment of the Chamber to develop and renew strong relationships with the 12 existing Sister Cities.
He gave a brief introduction to the city of Cascais and explained the interesting fact that Superintendent (M-DCPS) Alberto M Carvalho, member of the Portuguese Diaspora Council, was encouraging the development of economic, cultural, educational links and of course any student exchange program with the City of Cascais in Portugal his native country.
An official delegation trip is planned in December 2019 with a Sister City Ceremony Day in Cascais and a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Douro Valley planned for the participants.
More Information : Chamber on the Move
Veronika Pozmentier is a free-lance journalist. She served as a Miami Beach Sister Cities International Goodwill Ambasador and Miami Beach Liaison with the City of Basel, Switzerland. She is a member of Art Basel Miami Beach Junior Host Committee and a founding member of the FIU-Wolfsonian Visionaries Committee.
