Graciosa Island hosts second edition of Azores Trails Fest until October 7 - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Turismo, Mobilidade e Infraestruturas

The Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, through the Regional Directorate for Tourism, is holding the second edition of Azores Trails Fest on Graciosa Island from October 4 to 7.

The event kicks off with the opening of the "A Caminhante" (The Walker) statue, by artist José João Dutra, on October 4 at 4 pm on the access road to Furna da Maria Encantada cave in the parish of Guadalupe.

The opening session of the event, which will be chaired by the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, Berta Cabral, is scheduled for 6:30 pm on the same day at the Multipurpose Pavilion in Santa Cruz da Graciosa.

This will be followed by the presentation of the Azores Trails Fest 2023 programme and the launch of MONITRAILS, the platform for managing and monitoring the regional network of hiking trails.

The event aims to involve public entities and the entire tourist trade, including restaurants, hotels and tourist entertainment companies, among many others, in the promotion and development of the Regional Network of Hiking Trails, establishing the Azores on the international scene as a reference in active nature tourism experiences, based on a perspective of sustainability.

This initiative aims to mitigate seasonality by lengthening the tourist season and increasing the range of initiatives available in the low season, promoting the Region, consolidating its image as a destination for nature tourism experiences with ideal qualities and conditions for these activities, and increasing its visibility in this niche market.

Moreover, it also intends to disseminate and enhance local sustainability as well as to encourage active and healthy lifestyles, thus fulfilling the duty to incorporate a social and educational component.

Increasing the qualifications of those involved in the local tourism offer, thus ensuring the integration of a social and economic component, and establishing a permanent reference for entertainment in the Region that can be included in the annual programme of the "Trade" and other tourism stakeholders are others goals of this event, which is directed at the local community, tourists, tour operators, and the national and international press.

The Azores Trails Fest programme will include a series of hiking trails with different themes, along which hikers will have the opportunity to receive explanations about flora, fauna, geosites, and cultural and historical aspects of Graciosa's identity. They will also have the opportunity to experience local gastronomy, art in nature, and health and wellness activities, among others.

The first edition of Azores Trails Fest took place in 2022 on the island of São Jorge.