Special Interest Tourism 3 - Activity

Eco-tourism in the Algarve, Portugal

What do you associate with the Algarve? It’s a fair bet that sun, beaches and golf are likely to feature pretty high up on your list. What about walking, the countryside and rare flora and fauna? Not quite what you’d expect, probably. But that’s precisely what you’d find if you struck out from the beaten track and visited the Via Algarviana – Portugal's latest tourism offer.

One of the sights from a 'miradouro' along the Via Algarviana.
Image courtesy and copyright of Almargem.

Delve a little deeper and you find that this is more than just another string to the Algarve's bow. It's part of a strategy to promote sustainable, environmentally friendly, economically diverse tourism, which appeals to the growing demand for holidays which focus on health and well-being. Walk or cycle on part of the entire route of the Via Algarviana - or even the whole thing - and you'll be helping to maintain remote communities and disparate ways of life and conserve ancient and rare habitats, whilst relieving the pressure on traditional tourist hotspots.

What is the Via Algarviana?

The Via Algarviana project started in 1995. It aimed to use a walking path to connect the lower Guadiana River and Cape Saint Vincent. The route followed a line from Portugal's south-eastern border with Spain, to the south-western Atlantic coast. The path stretches for around 300km, crossing the Algarve countryside from east to west. It is located between the village of Alcoutim and Cape Saint Vincent, at Vila do Bispo, and is divided into accessible sections for walkers.

Enlarge map

The idea was developed by Almargem, a non-profit organisation promoting nature conservation in Algarve. Almargem aims to contribute to the improvement of the region's natural and cultural heritage, as well as the improvement of the quality of life of the people who live in this area.

The Via Algarviana passes through some typical Portuguese countryside.
Image courtesy and copyright of Almargem.

What are the objectives of the Via Algarviana project?

One of the main objectives of establishing the Via Algarviana is to promote walking and other forms of eco-tourism throughout the region. As a result, the walking route will add to the range of tourist activities available. It should also reduce the seasonality of tourism in the region.

In opening up this walk, Almargem hope that "it will help to counter the 'Desertification Phenomena' that is happening in the countryside at present and that it will improve the quality of life of the local population." In addition, by supporting small economic initiatives and encouraging new ones to develop, the organisers hope to promote and enhance the cultural and environmental heritage of the region.

What can you see on the Via Algarviana?

The Via Algarviana offers walkers paths through important areas of bio-diversity and ecological interest, such as Guadiana River, Barrocal, Serra do Caldeirao, Serra de Monchique and Costa Vicentina.

Rural towns and villages such as Alcoutim, Messines, Alte and Silves are also on the route. Other sights of interest are castles and megalithic monuments.

Rare and threatened species of flora and fauna along the way include Bonelli's Eagle, the Dartford Warbler, the Monchique Oak.

Diverse, rare and threatened flora and fauna are some of the eco-tourist attractions on the Via Algarviana.
Image courtesy and copyright of Almargem.

The past, the present and the future

The organisations behind the development of the Via Algarviana believe that walking is the most natural and sustainable way to get to know a region. They hope to attract tourism to these less visited parts of the Algarve by offering nature and culture in its purest state. They hope that increased tourism to these less visited areas will help preserve many of the traditional local activities.

In the region traversed by the Via Algarviana, population densities are very low, especially compared to the tourist hotspots further south along the coast. In the hills to the north, small villages earn their living sustainably, with the natural resources available to them. Cork, strawberry liquor, honey, fish and traditional handicrafts, are some of the means to earn a living in the countryside and that make this area attractive for those who wish to see a different Algarve.

Arbutus unedo, the strawberry tree, produces aguadente de medronho, the famous Algarve schnapps.
Image copyright the Biz/ed Team.

Due to the remote nature of much of the terrain through which the Via Algarviana passes, good information is vital for tourists. Walkers need to know places of interest to visit, places to stay and where to eat. Almargem has a key role to play in developing partnerships with a wide range of partners to facilitate this process. Local companies in the region crossed by the path, hotels, rural tourism providers, cycle hire firms could all be involved in these partnerships.

End of the line? Cabo Sao Vicente the westernmost point of the Via Algarviana.
Image courtesy and copyright of Almargem.

Is the Via Algarviana the future of tourism in Algarve and other similar popular holiday destinations? Can we expect to see travellers to eco-tourist attractions such as these walking routes outnumbering golfers queuing up to check in their over-sized luggage at UK airports? Will walking holidays end the desertification process in southern Portugal?

None of these outcomes is particularly likely on their own. But the development of holiday products such as the Via Algarviana certainly indicates that suppliers want to offer more sustainable forms of tourism. This in itself shows that there must be the demand from holidaymakers for services such as this.

The end of bucket-and-spade or golf tourism in Algarve? No way! The start of low impact tourism offers in non-traditional holiday destinations? Certainly.

Sources of further information:

Official website of the Via Algarviana

English language version of Almargem’s homepage

Wikipedia entry on the European Long Distance paths

‘Helping the Algarve move forward.’ An article on the how foreign residents can help achieve balanced development in the Algarve

‘Desertification threatens the Algarve.’ Article in the Algarve Observer on the dangers posed by desertification in the region

‘What is desertification?’ A Portugal-based study accessed from the Kings College London, website

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