Ecotourism and how to enjoy it in the Algarve
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Manage episode 199282268 series 1910348
João Ministro didn't start the Via Algarviana but he has worked on it from the beginning and knows it really well. Through his company Proactive Tur he has made a tremendous impact on sustainable tourism and ecotourism in the Algarve. Nick sat down with him in his Loulé office and discussed a huge range of issues.
Ecotourism in the Algarve show notes- ProActiveTur started in Querença and has since moved to Loulé. João was born in Loulé, studied Environmental Engineering at the University of the Algarve and was naturally drawn to ecotourism. He worked for a public institution in Setúbal and around the beautiful Sado Estuary. He returned to work in Almargem. We discuss the changes in the Algarve over the last 30 years and the interior has changed radically with urbanisation fuelling a migration to the larger towns and cities. He has always worked with nature, growing up on his fathers farm, so it was a natural move to continue in this area in his career. Sustainable development. The Via Algarviana is ecotourism defined. Walking and biking 300km across the entire Algarve. In 2001 a conversation started in how to attract more people to the countryside and in 2009 it opened. In 2004 João and his team toured the villages to explain the concept. It was quite strange for the locals to understand why people would walk for so long and so far. We discuss the origins of the Via Algarviana, going back to historical times. Doing the Via Algarviana by horse, donkey, bicycle and foot. The experience differs a lot depending on the season in which you travel:
- spring for flowers (high season), autumn is good for farming olives and medronho, autumn near Cape St Vincent for birds.
- West Coast, Monchique, Serra do Caldeirão for cork and natural trails, Castro Marim for sea salt and birds, Ria Formosa for birds and food, Alcoutim for rich stories archaeology, Loulé and Querença for botanical reasons with endemic flowers and plants plus good quiet roads for cycling in the mountains. The bottom line is there is huge diversity here in the Algarve. The photographic light is incredible and the opportunity is immense all year round.
27 episodes