Fogo Island Inn to host community residents in celebration of 10‑year anniversary

This celebratory offer is a repeat of the initial invitation to community residents at the time of Fogo Island Inn’s opening on May 15, 2013. Ten years later, Fogo Island Inn is committing to once again invite the community to experience the evolution of the Inn as a global ambassador for the nature and culture of Fogo Island.

“Amplifying our community's intrinsic assets and the uniqueness of our culture, while strengthening the local economy is the primary objective of Fogo Island Inn. Once again, we are excited to host community members so they can share in the enjoyment of what we have created together,” said Amanda Decker-Penton, managing director of Fogo Island Inn.

Since opening a decade ago, Fogo Island Inn has offered hospitality based on community-centred values. Building on Fogo Island’s place-specific culture, the Inn was founded by and is entirely owned by the Canadian charity Shorefast. Starting with its home community of Fogo Island, the mission of Shorefast is to make it possible for local communities to thrive in the global economy. There is no private gain from a stay at the Inn: 100 per cent of operating surpluses are returned to Shorefast for reinvestment in further community development work.

As the tourism industry at large continues to grapple with issues of sustainability, over-tourism, and various pandemic-related setbacks, there is a deepening conviction that regenerative, community-based travel is the future of the industry. This is at the core of Fogo Island Inn’s purpose.

“Fogo Island Inn is about our community, a centuries-old fishing community on the edge of the Northeast Coast,” Decker-Penton adds. “At every moment we have endeavoured to do right by our community by optimizing for local employment, prioritizing local making and purchasing, including sourcing 80% of the food we serve at the Inn from provincial suppliers, and ultimately, building an Inn at a scale that allows for a manageable flow of guests with whom we can responsibly share the environment here.”

With the relaunch of Community Stays, Fogo Island Inn aims to showcase to fellow community members as an immersive, authentic, reverent experience of Fogo Island that celebrates place while delivering meaningful, memorable hospitality for a global audience.

As Innkeeper and Shorefast CEO & Founder Zita Cobb notes: “Beyond our commitment to the community of Fogo Island, the Inn is meant to offer guests a perspective on the bigger world by immersion in a smaller place that is whole onto itself; that can ignite imaginations and re-orient us in the power and richness of place and community.”

Community residents will receive a personal invite in the mail within the next few weeks with details on how to redeem a Community Stay.