Opening of new trail on Faial represents "investment" in the consolidation of the Azores as nature destination, says Marta Guerreiro
The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stressed that the opening of the pedestrian trail designated as "Discovering Ribeirinha" on Faial Island represents "an investment in the consolidation of the Region as a Nature destination."
Marta Guerreiro spoke Wednesday at the opening of the new trail promoted by the Village Council of Ribeirinha in Horta. According to her, the trail "promotes the improvement of tourism," contributing to the "sustainable development of the Azores and the sector." It will also "enhance the environmental heritage of this village as an asset for its tourism offer."
"The route leads to places of great beauty, where the seismic nature of the island is visible. This is quite evident in derelict ruins, such as the São Mateus Church and the Ribeirinha Lighthouse, which were destroyed by the 1998 earthquake," stressed the government official. This is another way of discovering customs and traditions, "taking all trail lovers, whether locals or tourists, to a true journey of exploration, knowledge and adventure."
The Secretary for the Environment also noted "the importance of this trail in terms of natural heritage, as it covers the "Pedro Miguel Graben" protected area and geosite, one of the most important of the archipelago. It is located in the oldest part of Faial Island, which is about 800 thousand years."
"Today, we diversify and expand this type of product on the island and in the general context of the archipelago. It is a circular route of about 8.7 Kilometres with an easy difficulty level," added the Regional Secretary.
Marta Guerreiro pointed out that "Faial now has nine small routes and a grand route, making up a total of 62 kilometres of traditional and historical trails in natural environment. They represent an investment in the management of tourism flows on the island that will contribute to its improvement."
"The information about the island's trails is currently under renewal, either through leaflets or information panels," thus continuing the efforts undertaken by the Regional Directorate for Tourism in the revision, improvement and renewal of these information materials in the archipelago. The process has already been implemented on the islands of Santa Maria, São Miguel, Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge and Flores," said Marta Guerreiro.