The Douro is just a click away

The Douro Valley portal is an intuitive tool that will strengthen the region’s reputation, promote business opportunities and above all, make the lives of the tourists intending on visiting the region much easier. The Douro Valley portal will also raise awareness about this region, which is often seen as a visiting card for the rest of Portugal.

The project was developed in conjunction with CITMAD (the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Innovation Centre), the University of Porto (through the Faculties of Engineering and Economics) and UTAD (the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro). The portal is easily navigable and presents various suggestions for itineraries, restaurants, places of interest and even accommodation.

One of the advantages of this portal is that you can explore the region using a map and you can add places of interest to calculate the best route. All of this makes the portal truly comprehensive as it provides useful information for those hoping to visit the Douro Region, such as information on vineyards, monuments, hotels and restaurants.

Create your own trip

This was a two year project that aimed to bring together various types of information that had previously been scattered over various websites, such as the official municipality website. The portal’s advantage is that it allows you to plan your whole trip, including where you want to go and when without having to consult other sources.

The geographic application, geoDouro, means you can find places of interest and visualise them on the map and then calculate your distance from these locations. Therefore, it is possible to build a personalised itinerary. And once you’ve decided where you want to stay the night, thanks to the partnership with the booking.com website, you can book directly through the portal.  

The Douro Valley portal also boasts inDouro, which presents constantly updated news and events, highlights and places of interest. Just as with the places of interest and itineraries, the events are all geo-referenced so you can search for the most relevant within a geographic region or period of time.  

The Douro in Portugal and abroad

The project was part of the Tourism Development Plan for the Douro Valley and it received 560 thousands Euros. It was also co-funded by the «ON.2 – O Novo Norte» programme. The INESC TEC team was led by Mário Jorge Leitão (Director of INESC Porto) and it involved researchers from the Centre for Information and Computer Graphics Systems  (CSIG) and the Centre for Telecommunications and Multimedia (CTM). Leonel Dias and André Rodrigues were responsible for the technical side and António Coelho, José Manuel Oliveira and Lino Oliveira were responsible for the coordination.

For António Gaspar, the coordinator of CSIG, the unit most heavily involved in the project, “the Douro Valley team was able to successfully develop a difficult project with a high level of professionalism and with high quality results”. The portal was publicly presented on 24th January in the Auditorium of the Palácio da Bolsa in Porto with the project partners and Rui Moreira, the president of the Commercial Association in Porto, along with other guests. 

The portal's technological component will serve tourism, the economy, culture and the society of the Douro region, making it particularly positive in times of economic crisis. The Douro Valley portal partners aim to promote the region not just within Portugal but for international tourist operators. Therefore, the site is available in English (translated by the INESC TEC Communication Service) and Spanish. The portal is also being translated into French and in the future it may be translated into other languages.

The Douro Valley Team: Have Your Say

Mário Jorge Leitão (DIP)

 “I would like to highlight the team’s high level of professionalism and responsibility that made it possible to obtain results that deserve the praise of the tourism operators in the region, who were surprised with the portals functions, some of which are completely unique in tourism portals.

The project’s success can lead to new projects and research and boost the institution’s external prestige with these socially relevant results”.

Leonel Dias (CSIG)

“The Douro Valley portal focuses on promoting unique and innovative tourism experiences. I believe it is fundamental in the promotion of the Douro as a tourist destination in both Portugal and abroad. This was my first project after concluding my course (MIEIC at FEUP) and it really allowed me to improve my knowledge in various areas, such as “electronic tourism” and “geospace systems”.

Furthermore, this project allowed me to develop my capabilities in my role. I would also like to highlight the whole team’s daily commitment and enthusiasm.

Lino Oliveira (CSIG)

“Working on the Douro Valley portal really motivated me as the aim was to develop something different and innovative in an area where some may say there was little room for innovation. However, the end result proved them wrong!”

António Coelho (CSIG)

“I have always imagined the Douro as the “Magic Kingdom” of Miguel Torga, the Portuguese poet, where they produce the “nectar of the gods” – Port Wine. Developing this tourism portal to promote the Douro Region was really motivating and all of the team got involved. We hope that this portal will help the region confirm its place as an internationally renowned tourist destination”.

José Manuel Oliveira (CTM)

“It was really rewarding to have been able to participate in the project that resulted in the Douro Valley portal. In addition to working with other partners, I also had the opportunity to work alongside researchers from other units at INESC TEC, at CSIG, demonstrating the advantages that inter-unit cooperation can bring”.

André Rodrigues (CSIG)

“The Douro region is a fantastic region, which is rich in landscapes and it is the home of Port Wine, a key export. It was really thrilling to have been able to work on the project that led to the development of the portal. I worked on the research in geographic information systems and I also gave suggestions for the personalised contents”.

Credits: Douro Valley