Tourism, Immigrants and Lifestyle Entrepreneurship: The (In)coming of People as a Key Factor for Sustainability of Low-Density Territories—A Case Study in Portugal

Using the lens of the new patterns of mobility and lifestyle entrepreneurship in the context of counterurbanization movements, this chapter explores the relationship between tourism and immigration, beyond the traditional approach of immigrants as tourism entrepreneurs. The study focusses on a Portuguese rural county, Penamacor, which, for several decades, has suffered a continuous exodus of population and the consequent aging of the remaining population but where, recently, there was a spontaneous phenomenon of foreign people arriving and settling in the area. Thus, through the case of Penamacor, this study aims to answer the following questions: Who are these migrants, and what are their motivations for mobility and to settle in the territory? Are they all the same? How do they make a living in Penamacor? In particular, it seeks to understand whether entrepreneurship (in tourism or other sectors) is a possibility of income generation for these immigrants. Furthermore, it intends to understand what the impact of these immigrants in the territory is, concerning the creation of wealth and well-being in the community. Do they act as community entrepreneurs? Does their presence in the territory generate other mobility flows, through the attraction of other (family and friends) tourists or immigrants?