Algarve Nature Week, taking place between 11 and 19 April, has brought together more than 50 different companies to promote the opportunities available for visitors looking to explore the Algarve countryside and wildlife.
The Algarve Tourism Board (RTA) hopes that this new initiative will work as a tool to aid the diversification of tourism in the region, while helping to combat seasonality which has affected the sector for decades.
Throughout the week there will be opportunities for visitors to take part in a diverse range of activities, from boat tours through the Ria Formosa to kayaking trips around the islands in the area. Learn how to harvest oysters, take part in birdwatching and walking tours or jump into an all-terrain vehicle and explore the rural eastern Algarve during activities organised and promoted by the event.
While the main aim is to encourage people to get out and about and closer to nature in the Algarve there will also be a free exhibition held in Faro at the Parque Ribeirinho, between 17 and 19 April to close Algarve Nature Week.
The exhibition will involve local craftsmen, artists, community members, businesses and schools, with visitors able to view a selection of many of the nature tourism options in the Algarve all in one area. Organisers are promising many promotions and free activities on offer alongside workshops aimed at both adults and children during the exhibition.
Desidério Silva, the president of the RTA recognises the importance of diversifying tourism in the region but also the need to engage the next generation in protecting and preserving the natural Algarve and its environment. He said: “It is crucial that children and young people, the main prescribers of behaviour, may also benefit from the educational and recreational components that the event provides”.
Nature tourism is a niche that is becoming increasingly popular with travellers and the event demonstrates the commitment of the RTA in pursuing this valuable part of the sector. According to the RTA It is predicted that by 2020, nature tourism will motivate around 26 million trips in Europe alone.
Further information about Algarve Nature Week is available from www.algarvenatureweek.pt