Tourism increases in Castelo de Bode Albufeira in search of the “Portuguese piece of heaven” – News

“This is a very desirable water plan and, with the unique setting of Castelo de Bode, it is possible to maintain the environmental quality and, at the same time, create wealth in the region and enhance the territory through what is most genuine, such as the traditional villages, gastronomy and wines, history and heritage, in short, the quality of life that is breathed here ”, highlighted Jorge Rodrigues.

One of the next steps to be taken by companies that develop tourist activities in the dam’s reservoir “involves the certification of Castelo de Bode as a sustainable destination”, a Biosphere Portugal seal that certifies the quality of the management of the units at the environmental, cultural and economic level.

Gonçalo Veiga, who has been on vacation for 10 years at Albufeira de Castelo de Bode, believes that this year “makes even more sense” to return to that place.

Lisbon rented a rural accommodation house set on a hillside overlooking the reservoir, with direct access to the private dock and the right to use recreational boats, for “10 days of vacation in this Portuguese piece of heaven with the family and two more couples friends ”and children.

“I come to Wake Villa [espaço de alojamento] 10 years ago with family and friends. Kids enjoy the lake, we take a boat, we dive, we have activities like skiing, wakeboarding and wakesurfing, we have boats and equipment at our disposal, we are far from everything and everyone and all of this just an hour from Lisbon ”, highlighted Gonçalo Veiga, having realized that “this year, it still made more sense”, given the pandemic.

“Being here is a paradise, away from everyone and with this endless sea to enjoy, wake up and have breakfast in a garden facing the reservoir, watch the sunset, have dinner and see the starry sky. This is priceless, it is an incredible peace of mind ”, he said.

Nuno Eça, a former event manager in Lisbon, invested in that family space of rural accommodation about 10 years ago, to “escape the daily hustle and bustle of big cities”, where he says he doesn’t want to return.

“Here I am happy, in contact with nature, with people, I have tourists throughout the year and who end up becoming friends, and this is my life project where I feel professionally accomplished”, says the businessman, accounting for reservations for the entire summer period by Portuguese and with the space to be most sought after in autumn and winter by tourists from other countries.

The tourist offer in the surroundings of the reservoir, although limited, is diverse, with accommodation spaces for a middle and upper class audience, but also with a camping site in Castelo do Bode, in Martinchel, in the municipality of Abrantes, in addition to hotels and accommodations in the surrounding cities and towns, such as Abrantes, Tomar, Ferreira do Zêzere, Sardoal, Sertã, Vila de Rei, and other locations.

For Ernesto Damião, a concessionaire for 12 years for the Aldeia do Mato river beach, in Abrantes, an equipment that has held the ‘Blue Flag’, ‘Accessible Beach’ and ‘Golden Quality Waters’ awards for several years, the surrounding area to the reservoir it allows “to design paths and travel the region to discover a world where everything is calmer and in contact with nature”, enjoying river beaches but also a region where “time runs more slowly” and where “it is possible feel and appreciate a sunset, the gastronomy, the history, the culture and the heritage ”built.

“This is the entrance river beach to set out to discover Castelo do Bode and this year we had an increase in the order of 40% of tourists compared to 2019”, he noted, realizing that people “come by reference or to discover and then feel the spirit and end up falling in love and returning ”.

The businessman, who also manages a bar-restaurant in Aldeia do Mato and has several wooden bungalows overlooking the Castelo do Bode dam and the river beach, has no doubt in stating that “the calamity we have experienced has led people to discover the simple, the unpretentious, the nature and the sunset “, in a region where” is still very unknown “.

–