A short 3,5-kilometre walk this Friday served to inaugurate the Rota Vicentina, which, in total, runs 340 kilometers on the southwest coast of Alentejo and Algarve, starting from Santiago de Cacém, passing through the municipalities of Sines, Odemira , Aljezur and Vila do Bispo, to finish at Cabo de S. Vicente.
The tour was taken at the end of the afternoon, by a group of about three dozen people, less than half of those who, a little earlier, had participated in the official presentation of this pedestrian route promoted by the dynamic Associação Casas Brancas.
The Rota Vicentina, divided into two routes – the Historical Way, inland, with 241 kilometers and thirteen stages, and the Fishermen's Trail, along the coast, with 115 kilometers -, intends, as Marta Cabral, of the Casas Brancas Association pointed out, « affirm the region as an international nature tourism destination».
Because, he stressed, tourists from Central and Northern Europe - especially from England, Germany, France, Holland -, who seek this type of hike, have here not only a high-quality route, properly signposted and easy to follow, but also a true “structured tourist product”, which, with the pretext of walking routes, offers solutions for accommodation, restaurants, nature observation or tourist entertainment activities.
Sara Serrão, associated with Casas Brancas and responsible for the accommodation unit «Cerca do Sul», in Brejão, reminded the Sul Informação that “in Northern Europe, nature tourism moves millions”. And it is a part of these millions that those who live and work along the Rota Vicentina now hope to attract, especially in the so-called low season, when temperatures are more appropriate for nature tourism.
The Alentejo coast, as it is still relatively unknown, has "the attraction of novelty", in addition to its "unique beauty". All of this, together with the quality and diversity of accommodation, catering and gastronomy, constitutes a tourist product that has “fantastic potential”. "That was what led tourist entrepreneurs from all over this area to join the project," guaranteed Sara Serrão.
An opinion shared by Clara Caiado, from Herdade do Telheiro (Odemira). «We have an immense wealth on the Alentejo coast, in terms of the landscape and the spirit of Alentejo. But we lacked marketing to make this unique product known. The Rota Vicentina could be what we needed to take that leap».
"Not long ago I had a Dutch client who told me he already missed the dark, seeing all the stars in the sky," added the businesswoman.
“The fact that we are a novelty makes the Rota Vicentina attractive to the specialized international press, but also to companies throughout Europe, which make their living from the offer of walking routes”, said, for her part, Marta Cabral.
For now, 200 of the 340 kilometers of the Rota Vicentina, linking Santiago de Cacém to Odeceixe, in the border with the Algarve. The remaining section, up to Cabo de S. Vicente, is the responsibility of the Almargem association – which promotes the Via Algarviana, to which this new route will be interconnected.
Anabela Santos, from Almargem, revealed to Sul Informação that the Algarve section of the route is already defined on the ground. «Just this week we were there, with João Mariano, doing the photographic report of the route». Anabela guarantees that, in September, when the season for hiking begins, the Algarve section of the Rota Vicentina will already be completed and properly marked on the land, with its own signage and information panels.
Vítor Proença, Mayor of Santiago de Cacém, one of the many mayors of the counties crossed by the route present at the official presentation, and on top of that the host, expressed his «huge contentment» for the realization of a project that his municipality «has embraced since the beginning".
And he highlighted the fact that it is a project launched by an association that brings together businessmen linked to tourism and related activities, "private investors who have bet and continue to bet on our region".
Cecília Meireles, Secretary of State for Tourism, also made a point of being present. “This project has the secret of a good tourist product: it's that when you come here, you don't want to leave. And then you want to return," he said.
The secretary of State also praised the way in which, through Associação Casas Brancas, entrepreneurs on the Alentejo coast «knew how to gain scale and position themselves in the market», namely in nature tourism.
The result of an application for community funds, which brings together the Casas Brancas Association, the Almargem Association, municipalities, the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Institute and the Alentejo Regional Tourism Authority, Rota Vicentina represents an investment of 540 thousand euros.
The process of homologation, by the Federation of Camping and Mountaineering of Portugal, of the Historical Way is in progress, so that it can be integrated in the GR11, a great route of walking routes that connects Sagres to Saint Petersburg, in Russia.
Rota Vicentina is preparing a Field Guide, which will contain all the useful information about the routes. But Marta Cabral confesses that this guide is still “a little late”.
More advanced is the 1:50.000 scale map, which is being prepared by the Geographical Institute of the Army, and which will contain, for the first time, the two tracks and other support points (accommodation, restoration).
While none of this is ready, those interested in discovering these trails will be able to download them on the website of the Rota Vicentina the map of all stages and GPS coordinates, as well as all other details. But Marta Cabral guarantees that it is possible to go hiking without using this technology. “The route is well marked and very intuitive”, he assures.
So good walks!
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