The goal is to make the Miño River known as a “TOP destination” for nature and heritage among travelers. This is the aim of the famtrip organized by AECT Río Miño, in which wholesalers, travel agencies, influencers, and bloggers specialized in tourism promotion will participate throughout the week.
The famtrip – explains AECT Deputy Director Uxío Benítez – aims to familiarize and attract tourism operators by bringing them to every corner of the Miño territory so they can experience it as travelers, firsthand, and then offer it to people seeking similar experiences.
The presentation of the transboundary Miño to influencers, organized by AECT, will last the whole week. Today, the activities were aimed at a group of very active journalists, influencers, and bloggers with extensive experience in both national and international media. This includes Alberto Ribas, known as ‘Alvientooo’, finalist in various national tourism influencer awards; Daniel Keral, responsible for ‘Un viaje creativo’, a website that received the 2017 International Tourism Communication Award as the best emerging travel blog; Eva Abal, in charge of ‘Una idea de viaje’ and collaborator for various magazines and the website ‘Hostelworld’; and representatives of the travel supplement Fugas from Portugal’s Diário Público.
Famtrip through the Miño territory
The day was very intense and began with a visit to the Vilanova de Cerveira Biennial, followed by an electric boat ride on the Miño River, observing the Goián fortress and Cerveira Castle, learning about the border area’s history, as well as the river’s flora and fauna, and presenting the 400-kilometer network of green trails.
Next, a guided visit to the Folón and Picón Mills in El Rosal took place, emphasizing intangible heritage; the Terras Gauda winery and vineyards were visited with a local product tasting to showcase the region’s gastronomy; a climb to Monte Santa Trega with an official guide; a visit to the net makers of Atalaia in A Guarda, who work to dignify and formalize their craft; and finally, a bike ride along the Caminha ecopath to the beach, followed by dinner at the well-known restaurant ‘Casa das Velhas’.
Promoting the border area among European travelers seeking non-massified, high-quality, personalized trips
Tomorrow, the famtrip will begin for wholesale operators and travel agencies, with representatives from Andalusia, Catalonia, Lisbon, Porto, Braga, Galicia, and even some international participants, who in the current COVID-19 context are redesigning their offers toward the nearby destinations market. This includes specialization in non-massified, high-quality, personalized, alternative products, with special accommodations or nature trips, aimed at European markets, mainly France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria.
In this case, the visits will continue from Wednesday to Friday, including institutional receptions in local municipalities and tours of the previously visited municipalities as well as Valença, Tui, Arbo, and Monção.
“One river, two countries, great experiences”
The famtrip is organized by AECT Río Minho as a milestone for promoting the destination and the Río Minho brand, with the goal of developing the transboundary tourism product based on natural and cultural heritage within the territory preservation and promotion project ‘Visit Río Minho’, which under the motto ‘One river, two countries, great experiences’, is 75% funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal (POCTEP) 2014-2020 program.
