In one fell swoop, Albufeira gained two new products aimed at nature lovers: a link between the city and the Via Algarviana and the Algarve's first Joelette off-road bicycle, aimed at tourists with reduced mobility.
The last screw of the 29-kilometre connection (to be covered on foot or by bicycle) between Albufeira and Via Algarviana, in the Alte area, in the neighboring municipality of Loulé, was tightened last Friday, with the placement of the panel general, next to the Albufeira Tourism Office, located at the entrance to the city.
Carlos Silva e Sousa, mayor of Albufeira, attended the placement of the general panel, made by the company Floema, which produces signage for natural spaces and handled all signage for the new 29-kilometre route. It was also this company that supplied Joelette.
To create this connection between the most touristic council and that great pedestrian route, which passes through the interior of the Algarve, was, to a large extent, the idea of the Albufeirense mayor, as he himself told the Sul Informação: «at a senior tourism fair in the Netherlands, where Albufeira was present, a Dutch man asked me if he could make the Via Algarviana from here». And then the idea came up.
The pedestrian route was then delimited together with the association Almargem, the entity that manages the Via Algarviana, and joins other links of this great route to the coast, already created in the municipalities of Portimão, Lagos and Loulé.
The implementation of this route cost around 35 thousand euros, and an application to European funds to finance the investment is ongoing, awaiting approval.
The route starts at the Albufeira Tourism Office, passes through the Ferreiras train station, since, as Bruno Viegas, Tourism Technician at the Chamber, pointed out, «many people travel by train to make the tracks of the Via Algarviana», passes by in Paderne (where there are three small footpaths already defined, which can be taken as a complement) and connects to the Via Algarviana in the Alte area, in the neighboring municipality of Loulé.
In statements to the Sul Informação, Carlos Silva e Sousa emphasizes that «one of the problems of our tourism is seasonality and nature tourism, pedestrian and cycling, is a way to create a complementary tourist offer in Albufeira, outside the beach season. We are part of a region that does not only have the coast and we have to take more advantage of it».
The mayor stressed that the Via Algarviana «enriches the offer of all the municipalities where it passes or penetrates» and this new connection «will allow hikers who travel it to make an incursion into the interior of our municipality, in the area of Paderne, or even the coast, or it will allow those on the coast to reach the Via Algarviana».
For his part, Joaquim Mealha, from the Almargem association, pointed out, in statements to our newspaper, that «Via Algarviana, a 300-kilometre pedestrian route that connects Alcoutim to Cabo de S. Vicente, through the interior of the Algarve, has nothing to gain with these connections to the places where the people, the tourists, actually are».
At the moment, with the new connection to Albufeira, VA «already plays in 12 of the 16 Algarve municipalities, only Vila Real de Santo António, Olhão, is missing. Faro and Lagoa», added the director of Almargem.
To publicize the link, which, since last Friday, has been properly marked on the ground, an application will also be made available (app), which can be downloaded to any mobile device, with the four walking routes (the link and the three circular walks in Paderne). There will also be information available on the Albufeira Chamber website.
"This will have to be very publicized, not only in hotels and tourist offices, but also when we go abroad for promotional actions, together with APAL", added the president of the municipality.
Carlos Silva e Sousa also insisted on underlining “the excellent cooperation” that took place with the neighboring municipality of Loulé, to implement the section. The seven kilometers of the connection are developed in Loulé, and on that side, it was that municipality that had to bear the costs. “But we have an excellent relationship with our neighbors, which was confirmed once again”, added the mayor from Albufeirense.
What about Joelette? This bicycle for adapted tourism will allow a «group of friends to take a person with a physical disability to make the route connecting the Via Algarviana».
The bicycle, as you can see in the picture above, has a seat adapted for the person with reduced mobility, and then, almost like an Asian rickshaw, at least two (or three) other people will help transport it, front and back. Equipped with safety devices such as brakes and straps, Joelette will certainly help fulfill the dream of someone who, by his own means, can no longer discover the beauty of the paths through the interior of the municipality of Albufeira.
Carlos Silva e Sousa, who insisted on experiencing the sensation of transporting this special bicycle, stressed: «Adapted and accessible tourism is also a strong bet for the Municipality of Albufeira. This year we have more accessible beaches, within the city there are accessible routes and we are going to implement, on the beaches, the flag code for colorblind people. Joelette is just one more element of these investments we have been making».
The adapted tourism bicycle will be available, by appointment, at the Albufeira Tourism Office or at the Ferreiras train station. Information on how to request its use will be available in the application that anyone can download to their smartphone ou tablets.
And, in the meantime, towards autumn, when the heat is now starting to pick up, a tour was announced to officially inaugurate this 29-kilometre connection from the coastal city of Albufeira to Via Algarviana. As a joke, there were those who offered to take the tour…at Joelette.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues|Sul Informação
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