17 Dec Raia Termal’ comes to an end with a view to a second edition

The European program ‘Raia Termal: dous países un destino’, a cross-border cooperation initiative co-financed by the Feder Funds through the Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal Program (POCTEP) 2014-2020, has put an end to its first edition, having executed 90% of the planned actions, with an investment of 2 million euros. They participated as partners the Deputation of Ourense, the Miño-Sil Hydrographic Confederation and the municipal chambers of Melgaço and Terras de Bouro, with an area of action that covered from the south of the province of Ourense to the north of Portugal touching the cross-border thermal cores of the rivers Miño – Cortegada-Melgaço -, and Limia, with Bande, Muíños and Terras do Bouro.

The objective of the program was to create a network of cooperation between Ourense and northern Portugal to enhance the thermal wealth of this environment, putting in value joint management and marketing initiatives to create a single border thermal destination, contributing to the development of quality tourism in the area. And, as it was analyzed in the closing day, held in Melgaço, it seems that this objective has been achieved. For the president of the Deputation of Ourense, the results of this project show “that we know how to work together and value the territory, at a time of new economic opportunities through European funds, but that they are nothing if there is no ability to formulate initiatives like this”. So much so that Manuel Baltar already slips the possibility of a second project Raia Termal “that enhances what is ours, as the thermalism” and should be called, as he points out, “Dous destinations, a country” because “I consider that we are a unique country”.

As for the results of the program, the project director, Manuel González, explained that works such as the recovery of river areas affected by sewage in Baños de Riocaldo (Lobios) or the Regato da Pousa in Muiños were executed; natural areas that complement the leisure offer associated with thermal tourism were enhanced, such as the Bande motorhome area, the signaling of the Cortegada thermal route, the construction of a pedestrian walkway on the Caldo river and a bicycle path in Lobios; the water line at the do Peso thermal baths was cleaned, subway containers were installed in Melgaço and environmental recovery and access to the Gerês river in Terras do Bouro was undertaken.

Source: La Alacena Roja