News

Paiva Walkways wins one of the most important tourism awards: the "World Travel Awards" in the category "Europe's leading tourism development project in 2016" (innovative European project on tourism development). Considered an innovative project worldwide, the nomination for the "World Travel Awards" (considered the "Oscars" of the tourism industry) confirmed that. After a period of online voting, Paiva Walkways became a world tourism destination of excellence, which prize was given to the vice president of the Arouca Municipality, Margarida Belém, during the Europe Gala Ceremony, taking place in Sardinia (Italy), this night (September 4).

"This is the corollary of a well sustained strategy, in which the Arouca municipality and the Arouca Geopark have supported and bet. The Paiva Walkways opened us a horizon for a resource inaccessible until recently – the Paiva River – becoming a federating pole of tourism of global importance, based on natural resources. This award is a global recognition for the everyday working developed. It is also another responsibility to keep the dynamic of working our natural resources, to help us better know and preserve them” said Margarida Belém, following the announcement of the winners of the" World Travel Awards".

Walking along the Paiva Walkways is like taking a journey through Biology, Geology and Earth History, written over the landscape. Along the way, Paiva River runs quite musically, which water flows higher and strongly during winter time – suiting the adrenaline of its whitewater rafting or kayaking adventurers. Over the banks, the journey begins at Areinho and/or Espiunca river beaches and in the middle a little paradise in front of us, the Vau. This is the eight kilometres of a lifetime.

The "World Travel Awards" were created in 1993 aiming to recognize the excellence of tourism projects worldwide. This prize is one of the world's most important distinctions that can be given to the tourism sector projects. The online voting took place between March 7 and July 17 open to the public worldwide. Notice that this was the first time of such category, meaning next edition the Arouca Geopark is part of the jury of these awards.