Acronym: TURNOUT
Title: Outdoor Tourism Development in the Northern Region of Portugal
Reference: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-032289
Principal researcher (ESHT): Fernanda Ferreira
Start date: July 2018
End date: July 2022
Funding entity: Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation, through its FEDER component, under the Regional Operational Programme of Northern Portugal, and by the budget of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under its national funding component (OE).
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project summary
The Outdoor Tourism Project (TURNOUT) covers the NUTS II region of Northern Portugal, namely the municipalities corresponding to the NUTS III regions of Alto Minho, Cávado, Ave, Porto Metropolitan Area, Alto Tâmega, Tâmega e Sousa, Douro, and Terras de Trás-os-Montes.
This project stems from the recognition of the region’s potential for Outdoor Tourism, taking into account the characteristics and resources of Northern Portugal, its tourism supply, as well as tourism demand trends, which have shown significant growth in recent years, despite the continued predominance of the domestic market.
From the supply perspective, there remains both the need and the opportunity for greater integration, coordination, and promotion of the various resources, activities, and stakeholders, through the creation of GIS-based tools. On the other hand, there is also a clear need for systematic knowledge of the current situation, supported by concrete indicators reflecting both the dimensions of supply and demand, which should be collected consistently and regularly across the entire region.
A set of documents and initiatives have been identified that address themes implicit in the concept of Outdoor Tourism — such as the Norte Natural Consortium, focused on Nature Tourism, or those related to sub-regions of the target territory (e.g. Minho), as in the case of the NaturMinho project. However, none of these initiatives specifically, and with the required scope, address the objectives established for this project.
The outcomes of this project will constitute tangible contributions to the strategy for responsible and sustainable tourism development in the region, taking into consideration the responsibilities and interests of the various public and private tourism stakeholders.
The information resulting from the project will help guide future intervention policies in the fields of knowledge and monitoring, planning, land management, organisation, and marketing of the tourism offer. It will also support the definition of a competitive positioning strategy for the region within the context of Outdoor Tourism, in line with the evolution of both national and international demand.
This positioning will be based on the uniqueness and distinctiveness of the region’s resources, as well as on a coordinated business foundation, offering an innovative supply that integrates ICT and aligns different initiatives and projects.
Ultimately, the overarching goal of the TURNOUT project is to contribute to economic growth, employment, and the improvement of living conditions — both for tourists, through an enhanced territorial experience, and for residents, who will also benefit from the facilities, infrastructure, and activities resulting from the development of Outdoor Tourism in Northern Portugal.
