For the summer season, the first nudist campsite has just opened in marvao, in the district of Portalegre, a city in the north of Alentejo close to the border with Spain and whose mayor has welcomed the project with open arms.
The grounds are about ten hectares in size and the unique attraction is expected to attract some tourists from the coast. Nuno Frade, one of the promoters of the project, told the press: «We bought the land two years ago to inaugurate it in this beautiful region that is located in the heart of the São Mamede Natural Reserve«.
«We wanted to avoid the coast, as it is always more difficult to invest in that area and also because this region has enormous potential. " Mr. Frade believes that the project is "unique" in the interior of the country«, Commented Mayor José Manuel Pires.
He explained that this particular sector of tourism "is in great demand", especially among Dutch tourists, but lamented the "lack of options for people" seeking such a holiday.
Despite the investments already made in the purchase of the land, an amount not disclosed by the developer, Nuno Frade said that the investment needed to bring the project to fruition is in the region of "one hundred thousand euros."
Despite the goal of opening the campsite next spring, Mr Frade regretted the "more complex and restrictive" legislation currently in force for campsites.
Mayor José Manuel Pires said he is pleased with the development of a project in his region and welcomed the investment. He stressed that the project offered tourists something that "does not exist" in the area, which is "innovative" and "makes sense" to see that there is a "great demand" for the product in Europe.
"It makes sense that the investment is profitable and attractive for the clients of these types of places are people who live in harmony with nature, who protect it, who defend it, and who are therefore welcome," he said.