Published on 22 Aug 2024
Directly involving the local population in co-creating sustainable tourism strategies offers substantial benefits by combining cultural heritage preservation with activities that address specific social needs. This approach has been realized through the TEXTOUR project, an EU-funded initiative that has developed pioneering and sustainable cultural tourism strategies to improve disadvantaged areas.
Vale do Côa – Siega Verde, one of the eight pilots of the TEXTOUR project, has launched the “Côa and Siega Verde Ambassadors Initiative,” which helps foster a sense of identity with the local territory and its cultural and natural heritage.
The inhabitants have received training to promote and preserve their territory. The objective is to create a strong regional identity by encouraging discussions about their territory, designing digital routes to modernise the presentation of their heritage, and valuing locals as ambassadors. This is where the project stands out: it puts people first in protecting and promoting heritage.
Through this initiative, it is possible to create sustainable value by attracting new tourists interested in the unique identity of low-density, heritage-rich territories.
The Côa Ambassadors must live in one of the municipalities in the Côa Valley Archaeological Park and Siega Verde site. Aged between 12-25 or over 60, they will help promote and preserve natural and cultural heritage among the local community and visitors.
By involving people of different ages and backgrounds, the initiative can strengthen ties within the community, promoting greater collaboration and a sense of belonging.
As well as appearing as reproducers of narratives, these ambassadors can generate their own experiential accounts by observing how visitors react. Depending on the space available, they improvise, mainly through words, and they must be empathetic, good communicators, reliable, concise, and objective.
Read more: Road to active local participation in heritage promotion
