Source: AECT Rio Minho
AECT Rio Minho is joining Interreg Cooperation Day 2026, an initiative that highlights European cooperation and the results it generates in border territories.
Under the slogan “Stronger Together”, this year’s edition also marks the 15th anniversary of Cooperation Day and provides an opportunity to showcase how cooperation transcends administrative borders and takes shape through the people, institutions and stakeholders working together.
In the Rio Minho territory, this participation takes the form of three initiatives developed within the framework of the REDE_GOV MINHO and VISIT RIO MINHO_PLUS projects, co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A Spain–Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2021–2027. Citizen participation, tourism development and knowledge exchange on cross-border tourism are the three areas chosen to showcase different ways of building a common territory.
The future we choose together: citizens and municipalities shaping Urban Agendas
As part of REDE_GOV_MINHO, the Urban Agendas Citizen Participation Days in the Rio Minho area will open a new stage of participation in the process of developing the Cross-Border Urban Agendas of Eurocidade do Minho and Eurocidade da Foz do Minho.
The initiative involves two Eurocities, eight municipalities and two countries: Arbo, A Cañiza, Crecente, As Neves and Melgaço, in Eurocidade do Minho; and Caminha, A Guarda and O Rosal, in Eurocidade da Foz do Minho. Citizens, associations, economic and social stakeholders, the education community, local authorities and institutional representatives will take part in the discussion of the proposals identified and help define the priorities of the two Urban Agendas.
Following the diagnostic phase, the process is now entering a stage in which learning, discussing, proposing and prioritising will make it possible to turn community participation into contributions to the future Action Plans. Here, the Stronger Together motto translates into a very concrete idea: institutions, local stakeholders and citizens on both sides of the border jointly shaping the future of territories that share challenges and opportunities.
Experience the Rio Minho to the fullest: 14 operators and one shared river
The second initiative is being developed through VISIT_RIO_MINHO_PLUS and its programme of water-based experiences, which, between June and September, offers the opportunity to discover the Rio Minho from the river itself.
The programme brings together 14 Portuguese and Galician water-sports operators, with a total of 26 outings and 300 places — 100 reserved for tourism professionals and 200 for the general public. The experiences cover different areas of the Rio Minho, from its estuary to inland sections, and include activities in both Portuguese and Galician territory, as well as routes that directly connect the two banks.
Boat trips, rafting, kayaking experiences and activities adapted for people with reduced mobility are part of a programme aimed at consolidating the “Rio Minho navegável” tourism product and strengthening the Rio Minho as a cross-border destination.
Cooperation takes shape through local operators, tourism professionals and participants, but also through a natural resource that does not end at the border.
ITC’26: knowledge and cross-border tourism in dialogue
The third initiative will be the 18th International Tourism Congress – ITC’26, which will take place on 1 and 2 October at the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies of the University of Vigo and which, this year, will focus on cross-border tourism. AECT Rio Minho is participating in the co-organisation of the congress.
As the annual scientific meeting of the Centro de Investigação, Desenvolvimento e Inovação em Turismo (CiTUR), ITC’26 brings together researchers, students, public administration representatives, companies and professionals connected to the tourism sector. The Rio Minho will be one of the reference territories for reflecting on the role of tourism in the sustainable development and cooperation of border territories.
The integration of the congress into Cooperation Day thus adds a third dimension to AECT Rio Minho’s participation: cooperation through knowledge. Universities, public institutions, companies and professionals will have the opportunity to share research, experiences and different perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of cross-border tourism.
Different protagonists, one common territory
The three initiatives start from different areas, but share one common element: cooperation becomes a reality through the people who take part in it.
Municipalities and citizens jointly defining priorities; Portuguese and Galician operators developing a tourism offer around the same river; universities, institutions, companies, researchers and professionals sharing knowledge about border territories.
It is this diversity of stakeholders that AECT Rio Minho wants to highlight through its participation in Interreg Cooperation Day 2026. The “Stronger Together” motto finds a concrete expression in the Rio Minho: two countries, two banks and different stakeholders brought together by shared projects, resources and objectives.