English

Ricardo Rio
As mayor of Braga one of my priorities was and still is to put my city in the
international tourism map again with special attention to this proximity market,
represented by the 7 million of citizens that live in the euro-region, throughout the
52 weekends of the year, besides summer vacations or the holy week.
Tourism is one of the main economic development elements in the commerce
sector of our cities, as it creates jobs, which means each time we go out to enjoy
the attractions of our cities, our gastronomy, our nature or our commerce, we are
at the same time creating jobs whose economic impact also benefits us.
This strategy I am implementing as mayor of Braga in my city, which we also are
boosting at Eixo Atlântico level, is realized by elements as this guide you have in
your hands that I hope gives you a fuller grasp of our territory, our cities, in short,
our euro-region in all its elements that make life and living each day something
wonderful.
Our cities understand they should not compete nor dispute the tourism market,
because they complement each other thus apprehending a wider market with a
more plural, complementary and more enriching offer.
Braga acquires a larger touristic dimension if tourists stay more days to visit
Guimarães, Viana do Castelo, Famalicão and Barcelos, or going up to the Serra
do Gerês or to Galicia and then down to Porto. And the same can be said of
each one of the destinations of the euro-region.
I can only hope to find you soon in any of our cities, in which, with the help of
this guide, you can discover all the reach legacy that our history left us that we
are proud to preserve and share.
Ricardo Rio, Mayor of Braga and President of Eixo Atlántico .