Iberian Association identifies 32 boarding points in the Douro

A Associação Iberica de Municípios Ribeirinhos do Douro presented today in Miranda do Douro a set of nautical tourism initiatives in the project of Rede de Cruzeiros Fluviais Transfronteiríços (RED CIFT), where 32 potential boarding points were identified.

The Secretary-General of the Association of Iberian Cities Ribeirainhos Douro (AIMRD), Jesus Ribas, explained to Lusa that the 32 potential boarding points for nautical tourism are located from the source of the Douro River at the peaks of the Serra de Urbion (Spain), to its mouth in Porto, of which 13 have already been catalogued in detail for leisure, cultural, gastronomic or environmental tourism initiatives.

According to the leader of AMIRD, “for about three years 13 points of scale were identified, six proposals for thematic routes and new opportunities to value the heritage and river tourism throughout the course of the Douro River”.

“The analysis also considered the navigation conditions and geographical, meteorological and regulatory limitations of each area. Six thematic routes were also proposed that articulate navigation, heritage, nature and gastronomy, covering topics such as ancient cultures, enogastronomy, viewpoints and the relationship between water and energy”, explained Jesus Ribas.

RED CIFT also indicates that the work also included three models of integrated tourism products and the analysis of experiences such as kayaking routes in the Arribes, the Arribes del Duero Environmental Cruise and the electric/solar boat tours.

In the Douro, the project allowed to structure a planning base for the development of nautical-cultural and environmental tourism, since the river crosses two Iberian natural parks.

For the mayor of Miranda do Douro, Helena Barril, the rivers are like ways to value the territory by promoting nautical associated with the discovery of cultural heritage and, above all, of the natural parks through which these rivers pass, as is the case of the Douro.

“The RED CIFT project has contributed to building a differentiating tourism offer, based on authenticity, nature, and sustainable appreciation of endogenous resources. More than creating paths, it creates opportunities to discover, remain, consume and return ", he called for the social-democratic mayor of Bragança district.

According to Helena Barril, “Miranda do Douro assumes a particularly important position as the gateway to the Douro River in Portugal, because the municipality has a heritage deeply linked to the river and the Arribas do Douro Internacional, to the Mirandese language, to the traditions and identity of a people who have been able to preserve its authenticity throughout generations”.