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I recall today an unforgettable trip I held when Prime Minister on 2 June 1994. On that day I visited six towns in the Interior Beira region: Monsanto, Idanha-a-Velha, Sortelha, Castelo Mendo, Almeida and Marialva. In the morning of 2 June, in Idanha-a-Velha, I carried out a presentation of an unprecedented programme for the recovery of historical Portuguese villages which, in its first stage included, in addition to those six, Castelo Novo, Castelo Rodrigo, Linhares da Beira and Piódão.

Touring the interior, the towns and villages of our Country, such as I did in 1994, is to contact with our sources, to recall portions of our history and enjoy this magnificent cultural and natural heritage bequeathed by our forebears.

But travelling nowadays in the interior is also an occasion to witness the pride with which the local peoples envisage this heritage and the drive they place on its conservation.

Currently, the preservation of historical heritage is part of our peoples’ concerns, particularly in the case of local authorities, on whose shoulders falls the main responsibility for the assets comprised in our common legacy and is representative of the identity of each municipality or region.

The diversity of Portuguese monuments and cultural sites chosen by UNESCO to be included in the lists of World Heritage, are material evidence that today’s peoples are more than ever conscious of the importance of their heritage and of the need to preserve and value it.

The project of the Historical Portuguese Villages, whose 20th Anniversary we are celebrating, is a clear example of this new sensitivity. Due to their pioneering drive, to the diversity of efforts developed and to the results achieved, it deserves the recognition of the powers that be, of enterprising organizations and of citizens in general.

In this my visit to Almeida, Linhares da Beira and Marialva, I want to leave a word of praise and admiration to all those who provided continuity and prolonged the programme that I presented on 2 June 1994, in Idanha-a-Velha.

Mister Mayor,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Defence of the heritage has been one of the motives which, since the beginning of my first mandate, I have more often emphasized. In many of my speeches, practically in all municipalities, I made a point of underlying the strategic relevance for Portugal of the knowledge, defence and promotion of this legacy, upon which we can be identified as a People who are holders of a unique History.

During the campaigns of the Route to Heritage I visited some of the more emblematic sites and monuments, both due to their historical significance and to the partnerships that were set up for their defence and promotion.

As I had the opportunity to emphasize, the issue of heritage is not just a simple glorifying of the past, however much we are proud of it.

In addition to a reason for pride, for the Nation as a whole and for each of the sites flaunting a church or a castle, a tower or a fountain, heritage may equally represent a factor of economic and social development.

I am thus overly pleased with the work developed here, during the last two decades, and I address my sincere congratulations to all those who drove themselves, at whatever level, in order that the network, comprising nowadays 12 historical villages, was recovered and endowed with the necessary infrastructure for tourism development.

If there are successful examples of cooperation between the State and the Civil Society, this must surely be one of them.

Thanks to the initiatives of citizens and companies, together with the vision and dynamism of the local authorities, and with the requirement of State help, it was possible to render back to each of the comprised villages their architectural uniqueness, to install properly equipped hotels and to develop synergies that usher the ensemble as a tourist attraction at European level.

Starting from such a capital asset, and recovered from history and also many times from the ruins with which the rural exodus often threatens the peoples of the interior, dozens of companies were set up, thus creating a great number of jobs.

An important step was thus taken towards the settlement of local inhabitants and for attracting innovating projects, capable of placing the Interior Beira region on the routes of national and international tourism.

We hope that, through adequate management, work is continued to consolidate and promote this project, which is obviously unique in the whole Country, considering how it brings together the past and the present, culture and entrepreneurship, history and rural development.

It is possible to recognize here a forceful development potential. Historical Villages are not a reality from the past. They are a project for the future, in which it is worthwhile believing that investment is often secure, if the product is presented as differentiating and appellative. Local authorities are also responsible to pursue this path of development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Portugal is nowadays one of the main tourist destinations in the World. What could be considered as a utopia ten years ago is today a statistic evidence and a reality which may easily be seen in the streets and museums, in shops and restaurants.

From seasonal tourism which is almost always concentrated on beaches, we have in latter years commenced receiving a more cosmopolitan tourism, searching for more cultural exhibits and thus more demanding.

The number of foreign visitors that seeks our monuments is progressively increasing. International means of communication place Portuguese natural and cultural heritage amongst those which, ever rarer, create a real contrast in a growingly globalized world.

When facing these facts, and viewing instances such as the Historical Portuguese Villages, I believe we are and will be able to overcome new challenges by duly honouring the memory of our ancestors and placing their legacy at the service of the progress and wellbeing of the people.

Thank you very much