A recent election of Douro River Valley as one of the 77 Wonders of Nature, the only application in Iberia Peninsula with such distinction was an opportunity to project the region internationally and should now be the engine to a strategy based on it's natural beauty leading as a principle the environmental sustainability of all projects of the region, according to Douro's Tourism.

The application of Douro River Valley to Wonder of Nature, presented by the Association of Tourism Entrepreneurs of Douro and Trás-os-Montes and supported by Douro's Tourism, does not make part of the final 28 elected by Seven Wonders of Nature contest but was matched by other wonder such as the Chilean Desert of Atacama, the Dean's Blue Hole of Bahamas, Mount Olympus of Greece, the Island Natal, the Oasis Al-hasa of Saudi Arabia, the lake Titicaca share by Bolivia and Peru, all from an initial group of over 440 candidates. For all this the president of the Douro's Tourism, António Martinho, believes that "this contest which gave the region projection on the outside must be the first step to a new valuation and acknowledgement of the potential beauty of Douro in a National and International Level".

In a time in which Douro's Tourism - entity created along with the recent makeover of tourism's sector - reaches an year and a half of balance it's president brings out the fact that"the statute of one of the 77 Wonders of Nature of the World reaffirms the excellence of Douro's region in which Nature tourism is so important". António Martinho notes a reinvigorating phase to the region's tourism that "should have present and as a guide line the necessity of this landscape that is unique."

Douro, Wonder of Nature

Douro River Valley integrates the archaeological park of Foz Côa, Patrimony of Mankind, and Wine High Douro (Alto Douro) also acknowledged by UNESCO in December 2001. This title, granted by unanimity, awarded the wine region states as the oldest in the world, decreed by Marquês de Pombal in 1756. Douro is a candidate to destiny of excellence among the World Tourism Organization obtaining maximum credit in 7 of the 11 classifications.

Douro's Tourism

The regional Entity of tourism in the tourism development pole of Douro, in the active since January of this year, is one of the poles with management autonomy that came from the makeover of tourism's sector: the 19 old regions of tourism were converted to the 5 Regional Tourism Entities (ERT - in Portuguese) and 6 poles.

Douro's Tourism has the mission to add dynamism and value the supply and to know the demand of Douro's region, elaborate plans of promotional action, promote the tourism supply in the internal market and collaborate in the definition of external market promotion.