The CIM, which brings together 19 municipalities, announced a statement that the “Douro: Olive Oil Experiences” project aims to promote olive oil and the territory, and is expected to be operational in the second half of 2026.
“The Douro is world-renowned for its Port wine, but the soul and landscape of our territory are not limited to vineyards. Olive oil is our ‘liquid gold,’ a centuries-old legacy that enriches our lands and shapes our people,” said João Gonçalves, president of CIM Douro, quoted in the statement.
The project is funded by Turismo de Portugal, through the + Interior Support Line.
“With ‘Douro: Olive Oil Experiences’ we are not just creating a tourist route, we are giving due recognition and appreciation to the varieties of olive oil and the dedication of olive growers, linking the quality of our product to the unforgettable experience of the World Heritage landscape,” added the mayor of Carrazeda de Ansiães, in the district of Bragança.
This initiative aims to create a new tourism product focused on gastronomy, the richness of olive oil culture, the Douro landscape heritage – a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001 – and, “above all, on valuing the people who keep this ancestral tradition alive.”
According to the CIM (Intermunicipal Community), the project will integrate “innovative tourism experiences, using olive oil as a central endogenous resource.”
For this community, olive oil is “a pillar of regional and national cuisine” and an “essential element in enriching the Douro lands and in retaining populations.” “Olive trees, alongside vineyards, are guardians of the landscape, contributing to the sustainability of the region and the resilience of small farms,” the CIM highlighted in its statement.
Complete immersion
The new tourism product aims to offer visitors “a complete immersion in the culture of olive oil” and includes guided tastings of Douro olive oils (different varieties and flavor profiles), visits to traditional and modern olive presses to show tourists the process of transforming olives into olive oil, workshops, and gastronomic experiences focused on the use of Douro olive oil as a main ingredient.
The CIM said that the project “has a strong local development component, aiming to support regional olive growing, create new sources of income for local communities, and promote the retention of people who work in the fields.”
The intermunicipal community believes that, “by integrating olive oil and olive growing into the tourism experience, it is not only promoting the consumption of an excellent product, but also actively contributing to the enhancement of the territory and its human capital, reinforcing the Douro’s status as a destination for authentic and sustainable experiences.”
The CIM Douro is composed of the municipalities of Alijó, Armamar, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Lamego, Mesão Frio, Moimenta da Beira, Murça, Penedono, Peso da Régua, Sabrosa, Santa Marta de Penaguião, São João da Pesqueira, Sernancelhe, Tabuaço, Tarouca, Torre de Moncorvo, Vila Nova de Foz Côa and Vila Real.
Dining and Cooking