Alentejo Coast family activity vacation, Portugal

Planet

This vacation is based in the center of a natural park where our local suppliers work in conjunction with the park wardens to ensure that our clients are aware of their surrounding environment and when walking / cycling on demarcated paths they do not stray or leave waste onto ecologically sensitive areas. This is particularly relevant on the coastal sand dunes.

Responsible tourism is a core differentiator for our partners whole business operations and the Alentejo region generally. The unspoilt, natural surroundings are what attract people as a contrast to the intensive, mass tourism of the Algarve. Our partners staff take active steps to ensure our groups behave in an environmentally responsible manner such as sticking to established trails, not leaving anything behind or removing any plants whilst doing the activities through the park. We recycle our garbage environment for the sustainability of both the locality and our livelihood. We work inside the Natural Park, so we have to accomplish the rules from ICN (Institute for the Conservation of Nature) and Turismo Portugal.

This trip allows our guests to be in contact with all our traditions and way of living, and allows them to get closer to the reality of rural Portugal. You will not find big hotels in Milfontes as they're all locally owned. We only work with small groups of not more than 25 people. Tourism has a very important role in this region and contributes to the sustainable development of our community. The human intervention on the environment is very controlled by the ICN.

People

Our local partners are heavily integrated into the local community. All our guides and drivers are from the area and we have instigated many initiatives with the county council supporting cultural and sporting events - even maintaining the only grass football pitch in the locality. Families are encouraged to hold mini football tournaments with the local children which are a great way of interacting with the local community without any language barriers.

The lower Alentejo area is undiscovered by northern Europeans mass tourism as it is too far from international airports. It is very popular with the native Portuguese and we are working to create vacations not just for northern European families but with the Portuguese to enable an exchange of cultural information. By encouraging responsible tourism in this developing area it means that mass tourism and over development are less likely to become a threat to this beautiful part of the world.

We also encourage our guests to eat and drink in the locally owned bars and restaurants which help to spread the income and also provide a great experience for the customers. We also provide free time for guests and encourage them to book activities locally. The vacation operates in a rural environment so our business represents a very important alternative regarding local employment opportunities. Most of our leaders were born in the region and others have lived in this region for a long time. They're all part of our community and share the same values and culture. Through their employment this also supports other local businesses in the area through the tourism multiplier effect.