Knowing which paths to take, where to eat and even discovering a place to sleep. The “Portuguese Trails” platform“, launched this Friday, December 15th, comes to give this help to all those who walk and ride a bicycle (or plan to do so) through Via Algarviana, Grande Rota do Guadiana, Ecovia do Litoral or Rota Vicentina. The aim is to «position the Algarve as a destination for cycling and walking», attracting more and more people to discover a region that goes «beyond the sun and the beach».
Proof of this is the fact that the Algarve was chosen as a pilot region for this platform.
«We chose the Algarve so that this is a product that allows us to help fight seasonality», said Ana Mendes Godinho, Secretary of State for Tourism, on the sidelines of the presentation of this “Portuguese Trails”, in Vale Fuzeiros (São Bartolomeu de Messines).
On this platform, available in five languages, there are more than 140 cycling and walking routes to the Algarve, 111 designated companies bike & walk friendly, be it restaurants or lodging places, and about 60 programs aimed at national and international tourists.
Who accesses the site, which is responsive, adapting to all platforms, you can, for example, choose the trail according to the degree of difficulty, distance or duration. In addition, you can also check the weather and find out what time to expect along the way.
In addition to this, there is the chance to see what programs are offered by companies for these trails, making reservations, and also the possibility of discovering what to visit, such as museums.
«What we did was work with local operators to structure the product», explained Ana Mendes Godinho. By bringing together all these aspects, such as accommodation, the site becomes «a very effective tool» for those looking for this type of tourism.
Even because, says the government official, "the trend is for growth in this type of market, associated with people who are usually over 50 years old, are retired, have purchasing power and want to have different but authentic experiences."
This Friday, even before the presentation of “Portuguese Trails”, a group of guests from Turismo de Portugal, responsible for the platform, had the opportunity to go to the field and have this true experience of what it is like to walk on one of these trails: the Via Algarvian, in this case.
During a route of about 3,5 kilometers there were ups and downs, with Barragem do Funcho always as a backdrop.
In the end, the effort was compensated with a lunch at the Vale Fuzeiros Nature Guest House, a hotel unit, owned by Zitur, which is part of this network of “Portuguese Trails”, welcoming those who travel along the Via Algarviana.
Cycling and walking issues have been a bet of the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA) and, therefore, Desidério Silva, president of this entity, expressed satisfaction with the launch of this platform.
«Four or five years ago, the promotion of the Algarve was supported by the sun, the beach, the sea and golf, but there was a desire to organize ourselves for other products and offers. We have entrepreneurs who work and make a difference. Things have changed radically to the positive,” he said.
Even so, the president of the RTA was keen to emphasize one point: "we have an obligation to create more security conditions."
For the launch of the platform there were 20 meetings and technical visits to the routes that make up the platform, but there are still "some issues to be refined", said Filipe Silva, from Turismo de Portugal, to Sul Informação. One of them is, for example, the fact that the Ecovia section between Faro and Olhão be done… along the EN125, without safety conditions.
João Ministro, director of the company Proactive Tour, which has activities on the “Portuguese Trails” platform, was present at this initiative and told our newspaper that this will be an “important tool because it makes the territory known”. As such, he added, the expectation is to have "more people" in their activities.
This platform will soon integrate the regions of the Center of Portugal and Alentejo and, in 2018, the other regions of the country.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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