TECHNICAL TEAM

Carla Melo (coordenation), Antnio Figueiredo, Artur Costa, Jos Portugal, Pedro Oliveira,
Rui Figueiredo, Snia Trindade
GOOD PRACTICE MANUAL
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Quaternaire Portugal, Consultoria para o Desenvolvimento S.A.
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Marta Borges
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Quaternaire Portugal, Consultoria para o Desenvolvimento S.A.
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Quaternaire Portugal, Consultoria para o Desenvolvimento S.A.
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Alexandra Crte-Real
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PUBLISHER
ATA Associao do Turismo de Aldeia
Praa da Repblica
499-62 PONTE DE LIMA, Portugal
ASSOCIAO DO TURISMO DE ALDEIA
GOOD PRACTICE
MANUAL
Contents

Presentation

Introduction

Good Pratice Manual

Summary
5
The goal standing on the base o the creation o the Associao do Turismo de Aldeia (ATA)
was the need to gather eorts in the reinorcement o its associates territory representation,
through tourism promotion and the enhancement o the villages inside their areas o interven-
tion, as well as through their endogenous local and regional resources.
ATA was created in 1999 as a national association, which gathers, today, teen Local De-
velopment Associations (LDA), and has an intervention area extending to the whole Northern
region o Portugal.
The above mentioned LDAs have been supporting the villages development and requali-
cation, through the nancing or the recovery o aades in traditional buildings and public in-
rastructures, or the creation o tourism lodging, arts and crats, commercial stores, regional
cuisine, taverns, restaurants, among others, through the training/gathering o the attention
o the population and economical agents, as well as or holding cultural activities.
All the above mentioned nancing allowed the achievement o some o the LDAs goals, or
example, the xation o population in the villages, the creation o jobs, the encouragement o
traditions, an increase in the populations sel esteem and the reinorcement o identities, an
improvement in the lie quality and consequently, a positive visibility o its territories.
Thereore, it is time to learn about and create the necessary conditions, and to adopt better
practices in order to achieve a new development impulse or tourism in the village, to ensure
the sustainability o resources and to create a synergy net together with the local and regional
involving area.
Following this presupposition, in the application presented to the National Rural Net Pro-
gram with the Project Village Tourism as Economical Enhancement Potential in Rural Centres, ATA
proposed the identication, evaluation and dissemination o good practice developed by the
LDAs in the past decade. This good practice is especially connected to tourism development
and promotion in villages inside their areas o intervention, as well as a whole set o elements
associated with them, namely local products, patrimony, tourism lodging and animation.
This manual, a result o this application, is precisely based on the need to organize, syn-
thesize and put available a set o inormation, reecting and deepening the experiences that
have taken place, and, at the same time, allow an evaluation o good practice and concepts
that may be useul or the present and uture ollowers o the methodology, because o the
development and enhancement o rural centres, the increase o entrepreneurial competition
and o entrepreneurship in rural areas and also the enlargement and reinorcement o coop-
eration nets.
The Directorate o ATA
Presentation
7
In Portugal, public policies, namely the ones regarding territory, are usually characterized by
a lack o persistence in support, instability or even contradiction in orientation, and thereore
involving challenges that are little stimulating to the sustainability o local and sub-regional
institutional ramework or the acceptance and enhancement o such policies.
The ineciency o resources brought by this practice is easily understandable. Also under-
standable are the challenges that instability creates in the local institutional net, more entre-
preneurial or more stagnated, it doesnt matter. Such a pattern o policies will hardly create
consistent impact, and it will certainly be dicult to oresee remarkable learning improve-
ment or the reerred local institutional net and or those who invested their hopes and pro-
jects o proessional development in it.
Well, on the contrary, public policies o intervention in rural environments are one o the
rare, i not even the only one, exceptions to this lack o persistence pattern. With the contri-
bution o communitarian policies and their impact in national territory, such policies have
kept a certain orientation regularity along successive program periods. And, more important
than that, they have allowed a support to a local institutional net, whose projects end up hav-
ing an important example eect in these territories, so that new candidates to the experience
can emerge.
The role o the LAG Local Action Groups, coming rom the projects LEADER (I, II, +), has
been the ullment o that mission o memory, persistence o orientation, demonstration o
eects and coordination o processes at a local level. When that happens, the gathered re-
sources invested by public policies tend to present much higher eciency and ecacy levels,
justiying the public choices that presided the nancing o such policies.
We cant ignore that one o the most serious diculties o the territories with low density
and mostly rural is the lack o local institutional energy, which is, besides its weakness, re-
quently also paradoxically atomized and without coordination rationality. In this context, the
emergence o a local institutional ramework strongly associated to the reerred persistence o
public policy orientation, has represented a strong contribution or the consolidation o gov-
ernance models o rural development, that a centralized country like ours and the still incipi-
ent municipal intervention in the areas could not ensure or themselves.
However, besides that, its worth reerring the relevant role such experiences played in
what concerns the dissemination o tourism as an instrument or rural development.
Actually, the previously mentioned territories are not only characterized by the weakness
o their institutional ramework. They are also territories lacking initiative capacity, opportu-
nities or the creation o jobs and or the injection o income in local economies, in search or
alternatives to the uncertainties created by the dissociation between competitive agriculture
and agriculture o territory brand products.
Well, tourism as rural development instrument ts like a glove in that unstoppable search
or alternatives:
allows the enhancement o specic diversied assets in these territories;
injects income and can enhance local employment;
awakens local population or entrepreneurial tasks and resource coordination;
makes connections between local and wider territories, taking advantage namely o the use
o inormation and communication technologies as visibility instruments in global economy;
Introduction
8
it also creates new connections between competition and cohesion, showing that these
territories can bring new oers, enlarging what we could call territorial base o the national
territory competition.
All these considerations justiy the reach o the initiative promoted by ATA o conceiving a
manual o good practice identiable in the initiatives time, putting it available not only or the
local players that lead and/or participate in these experiences, but also or new players that
identiy this kind o projects as the opportunity they always ambitioned to project themselves
in local societies.
And the good practice methodology that conceptually supports this manual was made
with this pedagogic character. It identies good practices rom a sequence o requisites or
properties that a cycle o initiative project o this nature should ensure. The examples o good
practice are selected by their particular relevance to highlight results and the recognition in
these requisites.
With this perspective, not only do we show a scenery o public policies that contradicts the
idea o the lack o persistence and o the instability o the orientations aimed at less avoured
territories, but we also invest in its continuity and in a learning wave that projects them in the
uture even more eciently, with wider impact and with an example eect or new initiatives.
11
The present manual intends to assume itsel as a useul instrument or all agents involved in
the planning, implementation and management o (tourism) projects in rural environment.
In this gathering o recipients, the Associao do Turismo de Aldeia (ATA) itsel, its associates
Local Development Associations (LDA), entrepreneurs and tourism projects promoters, and
all those who, directly or indirectly, participate/support interventions o tourism nature in
rural territory.
The manual was created ollowing a split methodology which allowed on the one hand to
take advantage o the existent knowledge on rural development, public policies and tourism,
and on the other hand to be part o a reexion around the initiatives that already took place
or that are taking place in ATAs acting area, that allowed to contextualize the Associations
intervention spectre itsel. The two resources allowed a systematization o the methodology
reerential represented here. Technical visits to the villages were a way to identiy the most
remarkable aspects and the evidence o signicant results in parameters considered crucial
or the success o rural development projects. Benchmarking research and analysis allowed
the incorporation o knowledge that contributed to the denition o the principles to main-
tain in interventions in rural environments. Thereore, the ollowed methodology allowed to
complement and enrich a more technical and theoretical knowledge, with a more practical
and operational one.
Worth highlighting is, however, that this manual does not represent a project analysis
work, or even a picture o the situation, even though this is not ignored in its presuppositions.
This is the creation o a methodology reerential that tries to systematize the principles to ori-
ent interventions made in rural environments, with the aim o contributing or the develop-
ment o the territory, through tourism.
As previously reerred, this methodology reerential or good practice in intervention in ru-
ral environments was developed rom the analysis o a set o projects implemented in ATAs in-
tervention territory. From all the ones classied as Villages o Portugal, seventeen were visited
and the initiatives held in them analysed.
The analysis process tried to highlight the good practice shown in the interventions, as well
as to mark paths or uture development. From this analysis process we were able to dene a
methodology reerential that points out our key principles o good practice in interventions
in rural environments:
1. Persistence;
2. Coherence with public policies and pertinence in the ullling o goals;
3. Capacity o response to challenges in target territories, namely in what concerns:
3.1. Demographic Increase and Populations Entrepreneurial Capacity,
3.2. Injection o Income and Job Creation,
3.3. Individual and Institutional Empowerment,
3.4. Lie Quality and Comort Level o the Local Population,
3.5. Improvement o the Environment and Landscape,
3.6. Architectonical Improvement,
3.7. Improvement o Other Specic Assets;
Good Practice Manual
12
4. Usage o innovative adequate tools that contribute or its sustainability, namely:
4.1. Integration in Nets and Development o Partnerships,
4.2. Application o Quality and/or Certication Norms,
4.3. Development o Communication Models or the Market,
4.4. Application o Management Models and Innovative Governance Practices.
In this context, good practice means a practice that, being persistent throughout time and
coherent with public policies in orce, contributes or the development o the rural environ-
ment giving answers/contributions or the resolution/minimization o structured problems
in these territories, adopting innovative adequate tools, which contribute or their sustain-
ability throughout time.
In the ollowing pages we will explain these principles, being worth reerring that the se-
lected examples given to illustrate them are not exhaustive and result rom a critical appre-
ciation that tried to value the most dierentiated and most notorious aspects ound in the
several observed villages.
14
. PERSISTENCE
The principle o persistence is connected to the relevance o
interventions that reect an acting line developed coherently
throughout time. The actions should create supplementary
added values among themselves and result in a cumulative
eect o synergies that potentiates the positive impacts in
each intervention. That is, the development o rural environ-
ments cannot be ruled by isolated and unconnected interven-
tions, which do not oer conditions or the continuation o
the benets and or the sustainability o the interventions
themselves. The mobilization o local parties in contexts o
severe lack o resources aiming at their creative transorma-
tion, can only be the result o persistent intervention pro-
cesses. This persistence should be observed not only in the
scope o the interventions made/supported by the Local
Action Groups/Local Development Associations, but also in
what concerns interventions led by other parties in the sev-
eral components o rural development. Persistence is also
justiable by the need to pay attention to the thickness o the
economical, social and cultural contexts over which one is
intending to avour changing strategies and behaviours. Be-
sides that, persistence is necessary to ensure the time needed
or the demonstration o eects and adequate organizational
learning conditions.
Many o the villages that were visited have been continu-
ously going through several interventions since the 9s un-
til nowadays, and it is possible to see the eects this persis-
tence in action has been giving. The rst interventions aimed
mainly at the villages architectonical preservation and the
recovery and improvement o public areas. However, more
recent interventions have essentially been trying to enhance
the villages economic and productive basis, through the sup-
port o the creation o businesses that allowed an injection o
income and the creation o jobs.
The projects led havent always been supported by public
nancing and, in many cases, we can see that the rst regis-
tered interventions have been led by the population itsel.
The village of Montesinho (Bragana) is an interesting example: the interventions supported by
CoraN and Hnanced n ILe scope oI PROR are recenI (zcJz), Lovever ILe vIIage Las been suI-
Ierng guaIHcaIon nIervenIons Ior severaI years, vLeILer as an nIaIve by ILe NaIuraI Park
oI MonIesnLo (reguaIHcaIon oI ILe Casa do Pargue), or by ILe nLabIanIs ILemseIves. TLs
sLovs ILe exsIence oI a preservaIon and mprovemenI sIraIegy n ILe vIIage, vLcL s noI de-
pendanI on ILe exsIenI Hnancng IooIs, as veII as an mporIanI recognIon and acIve nvoIve-
menI by ILe popuIaIon n ILe maIIer.
15
The involvement o the population and their acknowl-
edgement o the villages preservation is one o the proven
successul actors, as it contributes or a collective eeling
and or an intrinsic will to value the villages resources, which
leads to a search or solutions and more creative alternatives,
and grants eectively a continuous intervention o recovery
and improvment o the rural world, promoted by several
agents in the territory.
In order to grant persistence in the interventions, the exist-
ence o careul planning is undamental. A planning that ol-
lows each villages specic needs and that tries to dene a co-
herent line o action, continuously enhancing and supporting
the initiatives included in the dened development strategy.
Also important is that the intervention plans and develop-
ment strategies dened or the territories, in a more or less
ormal and systematized way, are made according to the sev-
eral agents and later divulged, so that there is a transversal
knowledge o what is possible and desirable to do in order to
eectively promote the villages development.
16
. COHERENCE WITH PUBLIC POLICIES AND
PERTINENCE IN THE FULFILLING OF GOALS
Still in the scope o the importance o persistence, it is also
important or the projects in development to be coherent
with the public policies in orce and to show evidence o their
contribution or the ullling o those policies goals. This
means that the interventions should be developed simulta-
neously according to the policy and development strategy
dened or the territory and the specic goals o the available
tools to make them come true, namely in what concerns the
nancial tools to support the investment.
The initiatives AGRIS (Agriculture Measure and Rural De-
velopment), LEADER (Connection between Development Ac-
tions in Rural Economy) and more recently PRODER (Rural
Development Program) have been trying to enhance and sup-
port investment projects (public and private) that contribute
or the development in rural areas, based on a proximity and
valuing logic o endogenous resources. This practice granted
a coherent intervention in the rural world never beore seen
in the country.
In many o the villages we are able to register a continu-
ous use o these nancing resources, which have allowed in-
terventions o dierent natures and that have contributed or
the progressive preservation and qualication o the villages
throughout time.
AGRIS is specically aimed at the architectonical recovery
o the villages and their public spaces, whereas the other -
nancial tools have been ocusing on the creation o alterna-
tives to agricultural production and the villages tourism im-
provement as a tool or its development.
TLe vIIages oI Lugar da Rua (AmaranIe) and SanIa IsabeI do MonIe (Terras de Bouro), are, aIILougL
noI ILe onIy ones, Ivo good exampIes oI coLerence beIveen ILe nIervenIons and pubIc poIces
Ior ruraI deveIopmenI.
In ILe vIIage oI Lugar da Rua, ILe projecIs' goaIs vere ILe guaIHcaIon oI ILe vIIage (supporIed by
ACRIS), ILe creaIon oI Iesure areas (supporIed by LAR II), ILe creaIon oI a pedesIran Irack (sup-
porIed by LAR+), ILe creaIon oI a vsIor recepIon area n ILe vIIage (supporIed by LAR+) and
ILe promoIon and saIe oI IocaI producIs (aIso supporIed by LAR+).
In ILe vIIage oI SanIa IsabeI do MonIe (Terras de Bouro) severaI projecIs vere Ied vIL ILe goaI oI
guaIIyng ILe vIIage and recoverng Is arcLIecIoncaI paIrmony (supporIed by ACRIS and LAR
II), ILe creaIon oI Iodgng Ior IoursIs (supporIed by LAR and LAR+), ILe creaIon oI pedesIran
Iracks and Ioursm anmaIon servces connecIed Io ILem (supporIed by LAR+ and PROR).
In boIL cases I's easy Io see ILaI ILe projecIs Lave, n a HrsI pLase, conIrbuIed Ior ILe vIIage's
preservaIon and guaIHcaIon, and IaIer Ior ILe creaIon oI spaces Ior Ioursm (IoursI oHer), sLov-
ng a progressve nIervenIon sIraIegy coLerenI vIL ILe pubIc poIces n Iorce.
17
As previously reerred, many o these villages have been
registering interventions supported by public and commu-
nitarian unds in the past decades, thereore they have been
careully evaluated and selected by the nancing entities that
are exactly trying to ensure that the supported projects are
coherent with the development policies and that they may
objectively contribute to ull their goals.
However, not all projects are nanced, so it is also impor-
tant to ensure that the several entities responsible or the
approval and licensing o the projects ollow the basic princi-
ples o the public policies in orce, searching or a more eec-
tive proximity and articulation among each projects specic
goals and their contribution or the ullment o collective
wider and more embracing goals.
In order to achieve this global perspective, we need an
agreement between the several agents in the territory, being
worthy o highlight the role that the public entities with com-
petences in the area may play.
It is also important to enhance the participation o the
public and private agents in the discussion o the develop-
ment strategies dened or the rural world, in order to grant
a generalized understanding about the importance o action
in things that may eectively contribute or the development
o rural areas.
18
. CAPACITY OF RESPONSE TO CHALLENGES IN
TARGET TERRITORIES
The rural world presents nowadays big weaknesses that pre-
vent its development and on which we need to act assertively
and eciently. Thereore, its undamental or the interven-
tions in these territories to contribute eectively or the reso-
lution/diminishing o the main structural problems that char-
acterize them. This contribution can ocus on several aspects
that will be explained in the ollowing points.
.. DEMOGRAPHIC INCREASE AND POPULATIONS
ENTREPRENEURIAL CAPACITY
Population exodus in rural areas has been stressing the demo-
graphic decrease and population ageing in these territories.
An aged population has ewer conditions to promote activi-
ties that enhance the development and regeneration diculty,
what will inevitably contribute or the disappearing o a ew
traditions and know-how in the rural world that would be im-
portant to preserve. The rare resource o initiative capacity
tends to become even rarer. On the other hand the local pop-
ulations entrepreneurial capacity is highly dependent on the
existence o critical orces with competences or economical
activities, demanding vitality levels and population density
that allow social and economical activities to enhance the
development o the territory. Thereore, good practices must
clearly reect the contribution or the xation and revitaliza-
tion o people in rural areas.
TLe vIIage oI Campo BenIeIo (CasIro are) s an exceIIenI exampIe oI Lov cerIan projecIs and
nIaIves can conIrbuIe Ior ILe revIaIzaIon oI ILe resdenI popuIaIon, beng ILe projecIs n
ILs case a resuII oI ILe popuIaIon's enIrepreneuraI capacIy.
In IacI, n ILs vIIage, Ivo projecIs Ied by ILe popuIaIon aIIoved noI onIy Io Hx ILe resdenI
popuIaIon, buI aIso Io conIrbuIe Ior Is regeneraIon (vorIL reIerrng ILaI beIveen zccJ and
zcJJ, ILe popuIaIon under J_ years oI age Las gone Irom z Io Jq peopIe): ILaI s ILe TLeaIre Croup
oI MonIemuro (RegonaI TLeaIre NucIeus oI ILe MounIan CLan oI MonIemuro oI ILe CuIIuraI,
SporIs and RecreaIonaI AssocaIon oI jo) and ILe CooperaIve oI CapucLnLas.
TLe TLeaIre Croup, a proIessonaI IneranI company, Las deveIoped severaI sLovs and evenIs,
among vLcL ILe esIvaI AIIIudes, ILaI brngs Io ILe vIIage severaI vsIors and acIors, produc-
ers, drecIors, among oILers, vLo sIay n ILe vIIage Ior a cerIan perod oI Ime, conIrbuIng Ior
an ncrease oI IveIness and anmaIon n ILe vIIage. TLe parIcpanIs oI ILe TLeaIre Croup aII
Ive n ILe vIIage, vIL ILe excepIon oI a Iev nvIed arIsIs, vLo, as reIerred, are n ILe vIIage
onIy Ior a cerIan perod oI Ime.
TLe CooperaIve oI CapucLnLas s ILe resuII oI a group oI vomen n ILe vIIage, vLo, usng
rav maIeraI Ike vooI, Inen or sackcIoIL, make cIoILng arIcIes Io be soId n ILe naIonaI and
19
nIernaIonaI markeI, Lavng aIready been presenI n severaI Iars and evenIs. BoIL projecIs Lave
been conIrbuIng ILrougLouI ILe Ime, Ior ILe HxaIon oI peopIe and Ior ILe creaIon oI bus-
nesses ILaI creaIe jobs and ncome.
AIso n ILe vIIage oI QunIadona (PenaHeI) ILe exsIence oI a ILeaIre group (comoanIes)
Las been enLancng ILe vIIage and conIrbuIng Ior ILe HxaIon oI ILe IocaI popuIaIon. TLe
ILeaIre group s manIy Iormed by peopIe Irom ILe vIIage, and among oILer evenIs, Las been
promoIng ILe esIvIy oI ILe CaIdo (Iakng pIace n SepIember), vLcL brngs Io ILe vIIage a
consderabIe number oI vsIors, beng aIready a naIonaIIy recognzed evenI. ComanIes Las
been IargeIng Is ILeaIre acIvIy n a specHc ILeaIre gender ILaI nvoIves a creaIon oI masks,
ILe parIcpaIon oI ILe popuIaIon and ILe recreaIon oI popuIar IradIonaI experences. TLs
s anoILer exampIe oI Lov ILe popuIaIon's enIrepreneuraI capacIy Las conIrbuIed Ior ILe vI-
Iage's IoursI aIIracIveness and Ior ILe preservaIon oI Is IradIons.
In act, these two villages clearly show the importance o
supporting the local initiative and contribute or the develop-
ment o activities (entrepreneurial and others) that in some
way help the enhancement o atmospheres and experiences
that turn lie in the village into something attractive. For rural
areas it has been very dicult to hold the population and to
bring in new inhabitants, because they lack support services
and activities that contribute or the populations lie qual-
ity and comort levels. That is the reason why good practice
should attend to these aspects and help, whenever possible,
the enhancement o all activities and services that help de-
crease this weakness in rural areas.
20
..INJECTION OF INCOME AND JOB CREATION
In order or a territory to be kept alive it needs economical
activities to allow the creation o income and jobs, pertinent
conditions to hold the population and to make the territories
attractive/competitive. That being so, we believe that inter-
ventions should privilege activities that directly or indirectly
enhance the local economical basis, whether through the
creation o new businesses, or through the development o
already existing ones, namely in what concerns the optimiza-
tion o endogenous resources and the handling and distribu-
tion o local products. In many cases, this enhancement can
even mean the reinvention o the local economical basis.
SeveraI oI ILe projecIs appIed n ILe pasI years n ILe VIIages oI PorIugaI Lave drecIIy or nd-
recIIy conIrbuIed Ior ILe njecIon oI ncome and Ior ILe creaIon oI empIoymenI, Ike ILe exam-
pIes oI ILe vIIages oI Campos (Vera do MnLo) and Pena (S. Pedro do SuI).
In ILe vIIage oI Campos ILere vere severaI nIervenIons Ior ILe creaIon oI Iodgng areas (q n-
IaIves supporIed by LAR+) and Ior ILe consIrucIon oI a bakery, unIs ILaI beIong Io IocaI nLab-
IanIs. In ILe case oI ILe bakery, besdes Is conIrbuIon n vLaI concerns ILe njecIon oI ncome
and ILe creaIon oI jobs, ILs pIace s Ioday a meeIng ponI Ior ILe vIIage's nLabIanIs and Is vs-
Iors. TLe number oI Iodgng unIs s aIso sgnHcanI Ior ILe sze oI ILe vIIage, and Iakng Is IocaIon
nIo accounI (near ILe NaIonaI Park oI Peneda-Ceres), I Las been regsIerng nIeresIng occupaIon
raIes, mprovng ILer ovners' ncome.
TLe vIIage oI Pena s n a very pecuIar sIuaIon n ILs maIIer. TLe IocaI popuIaIon conssIs oI
onIy seven peopIe (Ivo IamIes), and one oI ILese IamIes, Ivng n a bg urban cenIre, moved back
Io ILe vIIage n order Io recover and revIaIze a IamIy busness. TLey are novadays Ivng Irom
ILe ncome creaIed by ILe Adega Tpca ILey are managng. In spIe oI ILe vIIage's IocaIon and Is
dHcuII accesses, ILe vIIage s searcLed by vsIors vLo Iook Ior ILe Adega, especaIIy on veekends.
It is possible to nd similar phenomena in other villages,
and the impact o the creation o new businesses or the vil-
lages economical regeneration is evident. Thereore good
practice should enhance the investment in rural areas, espe-
cially through the improvement o endogenous resources in
the areas that requently show a unique character, and which
can turn into very attractive places, competitive in what con-
cerns tourism.
21
.. INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL
EMPOWERMENT
The interventions to take place in rural territories should also
contribute or the empowerment o local individuals and in-
stitutions, giving or reinorcing competences or a develop-
ment and entrepreneurial spirit. In some o these territories it
is also easy to see the existence o active leaderships by local
individuals or organizations that are requently an essential
condition or the enhancement and continuation o actions.
Identiying and supporting these leaderships is important.
Their role as catalyser o new capacities should be highlighted
and welcomed.
espIe noI beng ILe onIy ones, ILe exampIes oI vIIages Ike Campo BenIeIo (CasIro are) and
QunIandona (PenaHeI) are parIcuIarIy reIevanI n vLaI concerns ndvduaI and nsIIuIonaI
empovermenI. TLe nIaIves supporIed n ILe scope oI ILe Croups oI LocaI AcIon ILrougL pro-
grams Ike LAR+ and PROR Lave aIIoved ILe renIorcemenI oI ILe empovermenI n IocaI
nIervenIon, nameIy oI aIready exsIng ILeaIre groups, ILaI pIay a crucaI roIe Ior ILe vIIage's
enLancemenI and Ior ILe aIIracIon oI vsIors.
We could mention other examples where we can recog-
nize a crucial role played in the divulging and enhancement
o villages, involving other individuals and entities. We cant
underestimate that many inhabitants in these villages are liv-
ing with passion the ght or their preservation, showing a
persistence and motivation that should be supported.
22
.. LIFE QUALITY AND COMFORT LEVEL OF THE
LOCAL POPULATION
The interventions should clearly contribute or an increase
in the inhabitants lie quality and comort level, as these are
essential conditions or the xation o population and attrac-
tion o new inhabitants, enhancing the local entrepreneurial
power. That means action in what concerns collective inra-
structures and services or comort in homes, or example.
A population that recognizes the existence o lie quality and
attractive comort levels in their living areas and services
available, will be less willing to leave rural areas and search
or alternatives in urban centres, and will also be much more
willing to get involved and to enhance economical activities
or others that contribute or the development and active lie
o these rural areas. The same is achieved by the attraction o
entrepreneurial young people, who search or new contexts
and lie styles.
In ILe vIIage oI Campos (Vera do MnLo), ILe enLancemenI oI IoursI Iodgng busnesses and ILe
openng oI a bakery, conIrbuIed Io make ILe access oI ILe popuIaIon Io a Iev producIs easer, n order
Io ncrease ILe economcaI ncome oI some oI ILe nLabIanIs and Io encourage reIaIonsLps vIL
nev peopIe ILrougL ILe conIacI vIL IoursIs, vLaI Las been Lavng a regeneraIng eHecI.
Despite being aged, the population in these villages has al-
most always an authenticity, a genuine hospitality, and they
like to share their traditions and habits with the ones who
visit them. Lie quality may also come rom this contact and
rom the opportunities it creates in order to share and pre-
serve the identity o the rural area that the population values.
On the other hand, it is essential to give the villages com-
ort conditions that go rom the easy access to services that
support the population to the requalication o public lei-
sure areas.
In ILe vIIage oI Travassos (Mondm de BasIo), ILe mprovemenIs regsIered n Iaades and pubIc
areas conIrbuIed Ior a bgger comIorI Ior ILe popuIaIon and aIso Ior ILe renIorcemenI oI a IeeI-
ng oI ovnersLp and denIIy vorIL preservng.
Being this a concept that assumes dierent characteris-
tics in dierent contexts, lie quality in rural areas is an es-
sential condition or their preservation, and thereore the
interventions that should take place should always attend
that need and contribute or improvements.
23
.. IMPROVEMENT OF ENVIRONMENT
AND LANDSCAPE
A great number o rural territories where these interventions
have been taking place have a huge patrimony in what con-
cerns environment and landscape, being even, in some cases,
targeted by saeguard and environmental protection tools.
This patrimony is worth preserving and has huge potential or
the development o tourist activity. It is thereore undamen-
tal or the interventions to ollow raming and localization cri-
teria that respect and optimize this patrimony, being also de-
sirable that they could even contribute or the improvement
and exploitation o these resources.
Tourists are more oten looking or a connection with na-
ture and or experiences that allow them to actively enjoy na-
ture. Villages located in protected areas have excellent condi-
tions, right rom the start, or the development o this kind
o activities, thats why they should try to nd ways to take
advantage o these resources, enhancing tourism search and
revitalizing the villages themselves.
TLe vIIage oI Lugar da Rua (AmaranIe) Las been deveIopng severaI projecIs ILaI am aI ILe m-
provemenI oI envronmenI and Iandscape, noI onIy ILrougL ILe guaIHcaIon oI Iesure areas (Huv-
aI beacL), buI aIso ILrougL ILe creaIon and expIoIaIon oI pedesIran Iracks ILaI cross ILe vIIage,
aHordng vsIors a conIacI vIL naIure and a cLance Io geI Io knov ILe vIIage and Is popuIaIon.
The same has been happening in other Villages o Portugal,
among which many benet rom the act o being located in
protected areas and having been going through several re-
qualication and landscape improvement interventions.
TLe vIIage oI MonIesnLo, n Bragana, s an exampIe oI ILe beneHIs ILe vIIage's preservaIon
Las, buI aIso conIrbuIes Ior ILe enLancemenI oI ILe proIecIed area I beIongs Io. HecIveIy,
greaI parI oI ILe vsIors are IoursIs vLo searcL Ior ILe NaIuraI Park oI MonIesnLo, buI vLo,
besdes apprecaIng naIure, aIso Ike Io nIeracI vIL ILe popuIaIon, Io knov Is IradIons and
LabIs. As reIerred, ILs vIIage Las been suHerng nIervenIons by ILe Park IseII, vLcL vas
ILe HrsI agenI Io carry on reguaIHcaIon projecIs n ILe vIIage. On ILe one Land, ILs sLovs ILe
recognIon oI ILe mporIance oI ILe vIIage's preservaIon, and on ILe oILer Land, ILe creaIon oI
a reIaIonsLp oI sLarng and LeIp beIveen ILe popuIaIon and ILe Park IseII.
Its important or the projects taking place in these villag-
es to be or not inserted in protected areas, to privilege a loca-
tion that matches the landscape and allows an improvement
o the existing natural resources, improving and exploiting
them namely in what concerns tourist activity.
24
.. ARCHITECTONICAL IMPROVEMENT
Rural environments are in many cases deposits o architec-
tonical patrimony, scholar or vernacular, with a value worth
preserving and improving. Thereore, the interventions should
avour the recovery and improvement o architectonical patri-
mony and public areas, taking simultaneously into account the
contribution that that recovery/improvement may give to the
local populations lie quality and comort levels. On the other
hand, it is clear that the presence o a well qualied/preserved
architectonical patrimony may even be an attraction actor,
namely or tourists and visitors, but is not enough o a condi-
tion or the enhancement o the territory. Thereore, whenever
possible, architectonical improvement interventions should
always be held together with interventions or the usuruct
and interpretation o this patrimony. However, the scale o
architectonical improvement interventions needs to take into
account the dimension o the whole. In bigger nucleus, the
interventions may sometimes go unseen when held in a non
continuous way by the whole. Situations in which the inter-
ventions are located in more or less organized sets o buildings
allow a better result or the investment, not only in an increase
o the comort conditions o its inhabitants, but also a gain o
the sets architectonical coherence.
TLe coLerence oI ILe seI may be seen n vIIages Ike AguncLos (Rbera de Pena), n vLcL due
Io ILe vIIages smaII sze, ILe arcLIecIoncaI mprovemenI nIervenIons Lave a more noIceabIe
mpacI and n vLcL ILe arcLIecIoncaI coLerence oI ILe vLoIe ruraI area s LgLIgLIed. Be-
ng evdenI ILaI noI aII vIIages are bg enougL Io Iavour ILs eHecI, I's mporIanI Ior I Io be
consdered and I s mporIanI Io moIvaIe ILe popuIaIon Ior ILe recovery oI ILe Louses and ILe
preservaIon oI ILe IradIonaI Ines.
It is also important or the several agents in the territory
to pay attention to the importance o the improvement o
the buildings in villages, not only in what concerns its aes-
thetic eect, but also due to its contribution or the improve-
ment o the populations living conditions.
In ILe vIIage oI Tongbrga (Marco de Canaveses), mucL recovery vork Las been Iakng pIace n
buIdngs, many oI vLcL promoIed or enLanced by ILe ArcLeoIogcaI SIaIon nsIaIIed n ILe vI-
Iage. TLs s evdence oI ILe mporIance oI agreemenIs regardng ILese prncpIes oI good pracIce
beIveen severaI agenIs n ILe HeId, so ILaI aII can operaIe n ILe same drecIon and accordng Io
goaIs amng aI ILe coIIecIve good.
25
.. IMPROVEMENT OF OTHER SPECIFIC ASSETS
Rural territories requently have material and immaterial as-
sets that have a signicant development potential but which
oten lack strategies that allow their exploitation in an eco-
nomical and/or social point o view. Here t regional products
(ood, handicrat or other), olk culture, traditions and know-
how, whose importance, although usually present in these
territories, isnt always rcognized, and also traditional events
related to estivities or work. The interventions should privi-
lege these assets.
Besides the optimization o immaterial assets, such as the
promotion o traditions and the recreation o traditional arts
and crats, oten led by local theatre groups or recreational
associations, it is possible to see in these villages the exist-
ence o optimization projects or other kind o assets.
In CasIro Laborero (MeIgao) severaI oI ILese projecIs vere promoIed: one oI ILem nIended Io
conIrbuIe Ior ILe preservaIon and vaIung oI ILe dog breed CasIro Laborero ILrougL ILe sup-
porI Io ILe consIrucIon oI a kenneI. TLs s a mucL apprecaIed dog breed, vLcL Las pubIczed
ILe vIIage, many Imes recognzed precseIy Ior ILe orgn and presence oI ILs dog breed. An-
oILer projecI Las been mpIemenIed, amng aI ILe promoIon and cerIHcaIon oI ILe IradIonaI
smoked producIs oI CasIro Laborero. BoIL projecIs vere successIuI, noI onIy Ior ILer conIrbu-
Ion Ior ILe preservaIon oI ILese asseIs, buI aIso Ior ILe creaIon oI ncome and job. TLese are ex-
ampIes ILaI sLov ILe exsIng poIenIaI n ILese vIIages, vLere very oIIen, due Io Iack oI supporI
and opporIunIes, ILe resources are IorgoIIen and some Iorms oI IradIonaI producIon are IosI.
Taking into account that, nowadays, there is an increasing
search or biological products, o traditional production, it is
important or the initiatives in this scope to be supported and
improved, because they are eectively very important or the
enhancement o rural areas.
In ILe vIIage oI Campo BenIeIo (CasIro are), ILe aIready menIoned CooperaIve oI CapucLn-
Las Las aIso nvesIed n ILe producIon oI cIoILng vIL ILe regon's IradIonaI rav maIeraIs,
sucL as vooI, Inen and sackcIoIL. TLe nIaIve Las been Lavng good resuIIs Irom an econom-
caI ponI oI vev and Las aIIoved ILe dvuIgng oI ILese resources naIonaIIy and nIernaIonaIIy.
We could present other examples, not only in the scope o
the production o goods, like honey, but also o the produc-
tion o handicrat made with characteristic materials rom
the visited villages. Its never too much to reinorce the im-
portance o the preservation and commercial optimization
these assets have. They are also requested by tourists, so, pro-
jects that contribute or the improvement o these resources
should be supported and enhanced whenever possible.
26
. USAGE OF INNOVATIVE ADEQUATE TOOLS THAT
CONTRIBUTE FOR ITS SUSTAINABILITY
Success and sustainability o the interventions taking place
in rural areas are strongly related to the use o innovative
and adequate tools in what concerns management and com-
munication. This is probably an area in which there arent so
many successul experiences, but that is considered to de-
serve special attention in the uture.
.. INTEGRATION IN NETS AND DEVELOPMENT OF
PARTNERSHIPS
The integration in nets and the development o partnerships,
not only contributes or avourable scale gains, but also stim-
ulates creativity and the sharing o good practice. Simultane-
ously, the work in net and partnership allows the creation o
synergies and the optimization o rare resources, namely in
areas such as promotion and communication, commerciali-
zation and distribution. Interventions in rural areas should
stimulate the creation o nets and partnerships, in a vertical
and horizontal logic and on dierent geographic contexts.
This is also the mechanism that can contribute to contradict
a ew eects o the eventual physical isolation o some o
these rural areas.
In ILe vIIage oI Branda da AveIera an assocaIon oI ovners oI Iodgng unIs vas Iounded Io
manage and promoIe ILe vIIage's IoursI Iodgng oHer n an nIegraIed vay. TLrougL ILs as-
socaIon's nIaIve ILere's ILe possbIIy Io geI nIormaIon abouI ILe severaI Louses n ILe
vIIage and make reservaIons n a smpIe and guck vay. Besdes a bgger vsbIIy Ior ILe IoursI
markeI, ILs managemenI n parInersLp aIIovs ILe opImzaIon oI resources n vLaI concerns
communcaIon and promoIon oI Iodgng and Io acLeve IavourabIe scaIe gans.
However, the integration in nets and the development o
partnerships should not be reduced to the local population
and entrepreneurs initiative. It is also necessary to optimize
another kind o partnerships that oten already exist or sev-
eral reasons.
TLe vIIage oI PcoIe (Mranda do ouro) s an exampIe oI Lov ILe beneIIs resuIIng Irom
nsIIuIonaI parInersLps (n ILs case vIL P) can be Ied, n order Io promoIe ILe deveIop-
menI oI ruraI areas. Some oI ILe counIerparIs oIIered by P Lave been eIIecIveIy Ied n order
Io deveIop projecIs ILaI am aI ILe vIIage's preservaIon and aI ILe recovery and opImzaIon
oI some oI Is IradIons.
27
Other kinds o partnerships could and should be encouraged,
mobilizing public and private, local, regional and national agents,
by using resources and establishing synergies and complementa-
rities among the several implemented projects.
.. APPLICATION OF QUALITY AND/OR
CERTIFICATION NORMS
In a context o growing market globalization and competi-
tion, tourist consumption (and not only) is more oten led by
the search o pattern quality indicators in what concerns the
aorded goods and services, and thereore, the application o
quality norms and the certication processes are important
qualication tools o tourist oer. These processes involve the
denition o norms and procedures agreed between several
agents in the territory, so, the benets not only come rom
the results (norms), but also rom the process assumed or
their denition.
These certication processes may not be exclusive to ood
goods and lodging services (where these processes are more
common), but contemplate other areas and other kinds o
products.
TLe cerIHcaIon oI ILe dog breed CasIro Laborero s a good exampIe oI ILs. Beng auIocLILo-
nous, I s mporIanI Io preserve Is auILenIcIy and granI ILaI ILe commercaIzaIon oI ILese
dogs s made accordng Io ILe deHned sIandards.
In a more generic way, we can also reer the certication
given by ATA to the Villages o Portugal, that allows the appli-
cation o a set o norms and principles that should be looked
at by the villages so that they can obtain this classication
and, thus, benet rom improvement and promotion projects
in a wider scale.
It would be important or these certication processes to
be wider and more involving, what would contribute or the
armation o local brands and economically enhance many
o these villages.
.. DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNICATION MODELS
FOR THE MARKET
Its important or the developed activities to be transmitted
in a coherent and attractive way, because on the contrary,
their existence will not be visible or the market and will have
less development and expansion possibilities.
28
The point is to present and promote the territory in its sev-
eral valences and in an integrated way.
In an era marked by the presence and control o inorma-
tion and communication technologies, its important or the
implemented projects to intelligently use these technologies,
not only or the visibility these can give them, but also or the
quality o the service they render to all potential visitors and
tourists who wish to get inormation about these projects.
The existence o sites, blogs and pages in social nets is not
new, but is oten despised and its use and potential are not
duly exploited.
TLe exsIence oI a sIe dedcaIed Io ILe IoursI vIIage oI PonIdo (aIe) LeIped Io dvuIge ILe pro-
jecI, as I conIans nIormaIon abouI ILe vIIage, Iodgng, resIauranIs, and abouI aII acIvIes
deveIoped n ILe vIIage.
Other cases could be mentioned, and it is important to
mention that these tools are only eective when strategically
used, with a selection and constant upgrading o the inor-
mation to transmit.
.. APPLICATION OF MANAGEMENT MODELS AND
INNOVATIVE GOVERNANCE PRACTICES
The success o the interventions does not depend only on
its intrinsic quality, but also on the way they are managed
throughout time. Their planning should involve the identi-
cation o management models that are adequate to the na-
ture and goals o the intervention, to the mobilization o the
community and the agents (active and passive) and innova-
tive practices that contribute or the interventions sustain-
ability should be privileged.
TLe AssocaIon oI Toursm PromoIers oI ILe VIIage oI Branda da AveIera s an exampIe oI a
parInersLp managemenI modeI, vLcL aIILougL mpIed n ILe IegaI concepI oI vIIage Ioursm,
Lasn'I aIvays been duIy vaIued.
Its important or the interventions to be thought or a
wide period o time and that the conditions or their main-
tenance in the period ater the nancing/execution are kept,
and that hasnt always been happening.
31
Summary
In order to optimize the use o this Manual, we present a table that summarizes the mentio-
ned orientations and principles through the ormalization o a set o questions, which should
direct the decision or an implementation o projects in rural areas.
oes ILe projecI aIIov conInuIy n ILe nIerven-
tion line and strategy applied in the territory?
oes ILe projecI aIIov ILe renIorcemenI or compIe-
mentation of previously implemented initiatives?
Is ILe projecI coLerenI vIL pubIc poIces n Iorce7
Is ILe projecI gong Io conIrbuIe evdenIIy Ior
ILe accompIsLmenI oI pubIc poIces deHned
for the territory?
Does the project respond to some of the challenges in
the territory?
In vLaI vay does ILe projecI conIrbuIe Ior:
TLe popuIaIon's demograpLc ncrease and en-
IrepreneuraI capacIy7
TLe creaIon oI ncome and jobs7
LocaI ndvduaI and nsIIuIonaI empovermenI7
Increase n ILe IocaI popuIaIon's IIe guaIIy and
comIorI IeveIs7
An mprovemenI n envronmenI and Iandscape7
An arcLIecIoncaI mprovemenI7
An mprovemenI oI oILer specHc asseIs pre-
sent in the territory?
Does the project involve the use of innovative adequa-
te tools that contribute for its future sustainability?
oes I nvoIve ILe creaIon oI neIs and parIners7
oes I Ioresee ILe deveIopmenI and,or appIca-
Ion oI guaIIy norms and cerIHcaIon processes7
oes I Ioresee ILe deveIopmenI oI commun-
caIon modeIs Ior ILe markeI7
oes I mpIy ILe appIcaIon,deveIopmenI oI
management models and innovative gover-
nance pracIce7
GOOD
PRACTICE
CAPACITY
OF RESPONSE TO
THE TERRITORY S
CHALLENGES
PERSISTENCE
COHERENCE
WITH
PUBLIC POLICIES
THE USE OF
INNOVATIVE
ADEQUATE TOOLS