The island of Santa Maria will host a "Trail Run" competition in February 2016, announced the Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport during the opening of the Grand Route of Santa Maria, which will become the established route of this event.

"In his logbook, Christopher Columbus registered that his passage by Santa Maria took place between February 18 and 28, 1493. Hence, we associate our historical heritage by designating the competition as Colombus Azores Trail, whose first edition will be held in February 2016. Despite taking place in the low-season, it will certainly tackle the issue of seasonality that affects the tourism sector," said Vítor Fraga.

The Regional Secretary stressed that the Government of the Azores has not concluded this effort with the creation of the Grand Route of Santa Maria, "which reflects the commitment, dedication and the belief of a generation." According to him, "the whole promotional work" still lies ahead of us.

The organisation of the competition announced today follows the policy developed by the Regional Government regarding the promotion and organisation of events in the archipelago, namely "those that contribute to the promotion of the Region and events that directly contribute to the increase of tourism flows."

According to Vítor Fraga, this competition will "contribute to the enhancement of the tourist offer provided by Santa Maria and the Region as well."