A more inclusive event, where everyone can enjoy the beauties that the parish of Ameixial, in the interior of Loulé, has to offer, and an unprecedented partnership with hotels in the region, so that more and more tourists can climb the mountain. , to participate in the walking festival “Walking Festival Ameixial” (WFA), which will take place from April 27th to 29th.
These, together with an even deeper commitment to offerings for families, are the main premises of the sixth edition of this initiative organized by the QRER cooperative (Projeto Querença), which aims to promote the potential of the interior of the Algarve as a hiking tourist destination, but also the Serra do Caldeirão riches, such as the local gastronomy and the cultural heritage that exists there, with the Sudoeste Writing as the main flag.
“In 2018, we will have more walks aimed at a public with reduced mobility. Last year, we already had our first experience with the Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Portugal (ACAPO). This year, we are also going to have a wheelchair ride in the mountains», he revealed to Sul Informação João Ministro, from the company ProActiveTur, one of the entities involved in the organization of the event.
In all, three inclusive walks are planned, dedicated not only to the blind and people with reduced mobility, but also to seniors.
In the field of internationalization, the organizers of the WFA will work on two fronts. On the one hand, they will seek to attract tourists who are already in the region to Ameixial, providing free transport from Loulé to the village that hosts the festival, in conjunction with hotels in the region, «with strategic stops in Querença, Barranco do Velho and Cortelha».
«The great part of the participants are Portuguese coming from Lisbon, Alentejo and, of course, the Algarve. But we would like to have more and more foreigners. Thus, we are going to reinforce the transport system, with buses leaving Loulé in the morning for Ameixial and returning in the late afternoon», said João Ministro.
“For the first time, hikes will be held exclusively in a foreign language for tourists and foreign residents,” adds the festival organizers.
Another way to take the WFA name further is through partnerships with similar events held in other countries. «We are in contact with Cape Verde for the creation of a possible festival. We will also be welcoming people from the Pyrenees and we have been talking to someone from a walking festival in Sweden. The network is growing», he said.
Those responsible for the WFA also invested in an approach to Pampilhosa da Serra, a municipality that hosts a hiking festival and was heavily battered by forest fires in the summer. so that people can go there and help», said João Ministro.
There is even the possibility of promoting a reforestation action in the center of the country, with money that will be raised for this purpose, similarly to what happened last year.
Families, which has been good. love Lóleo of the Algarve festival, have not been forgotten. “There will be a stronger commitment to activities for families and children. Last year, we already had a space kids, which this year will be reinforced with more activities. We felt that it was an area that people are looking for and like and we will have more walks with this audience in mind», revealed the responsible for ProActiveTur.
Culture, heritage and gastronomy are other values associated with the event, which are reflected in the offer of walks and in the actions that are promoted. Escrita do Sudoeste, a legacy of this territory with more than two millennia and the oldest writing in the Iberian Peninsula, will once again be highlighted and the basis of “Interventions in Landscape”, to be performed by a guest artist.
Also in the cultural field, the University of Algarve will promote a literary journey. «The responsible teachers have already done one in Alte. It is a journey inside the village, with parts where you stop to read excerpts from texts and poems by various authors», according to João Ministro.
«On Sunday, we are going to have some days about the valorization of the acorn. We are going to invite an expert and take a short walk around this fruit. We will then discuss the potential of this product and promote a workshop how to make bread with acorns», he revealed.
A ten-hour walk between Loulé and Ameixial and an outing that combines «a tour and a part of canoeing, in Vascão, for the first time» are other planned initiatives.
Also new, it is the inclusion of the festival in the Algarve Walking Season, an initiative launched this year that unites the walking festivals of Ameixial, Alcoutim and the one that the association Almargem will launch this year in Lagos.
Registration for the different activities of the festival is now open and can be done on the event website.. Here, you can also find detailed information about hiking, activities, accommodation, meals and transport. Participation in the festival has a symbolic value of 6 euros per participant, with free entry for children up to 12 years old.
The WFA is organized by the QRER Cooperative, with the support of the Algarve Tourism Region, Loulé City Council, Ameixial Parish Council, Proactivetur and Estela Project.
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