🇬🇧 Walking on Rota Vicentina for 10 years

The boom of hiking season is back after a 2 years of forced break! The trails are full of happy hikers, the landscapes are stunning, the local services have their hands full. We can breathe a sigh of relief again, on behalf of an economic activity whose sustainability we have defended from the very beginning of Rota Vicentina.

It was 10 years ago that we launched the first Walking Trails of Rota Vicentina, the Historical Way and the Fishermen’s Trail in the Alentejo. A year later, we launched the Algarve trails and since then, many others have complemented this network of trails, which comprises now around 750 km, more than double the original range of offer.

We are very proud that we have not compromised the quality, but quite the opposite. We have added Circular Routes which, without the commitment of the linearity of the Great Routes, guide us through some of the best spots in the Southwest of Portugal. We added the section Lagos» St. Vincent Cape – one of the most breathtaking parts of the Fishermen’s Trail – which was officially marked and provided with information and awareness material.

The Semana ID (ID Week in portuguese words)programme, which took place in early April, proved that the trails have many hidden treasures that the local community can and want to reveal. Let there be coordination, promotion and demand!

But in this month of May, we do not just celebrate another annual cycle or even this first decade. At Rota Vicentina, we have taken our responsibility and returned to the trails to measure the impact of the project, after a first detailed portrait done in 2017.

How many hikers are on the tracks and how are they diveded in space and time? What is your profile and motivation? What are the habits of consume? What is the overall impact on the territory? What is the associated turnover? How much stays in the region and what part refers to the local economy?

Hiking is and always will be the focus and main tourist attraction of Rota Vicentina. But we have no illusions: without people, without a empowered, aware, creative and productive local community, the value of trails has its days counted.

To the question “And what about the future? What are the priorities? What investments are planned?” the answer is simple. 2022 is a year of reflection.

We will discuss the management system of Rota Vicentina Association and all the challenges that impacted the foundations of original project. We will raise questions, make various proposals, review established presuppositions and priorities. Without never forgetting any of the variables in this equation that we want to balance: tourism, responsibility and community.