Portugal is currently participating in the iHERITAGE project, an EU-funded initiative aimed at promoting and enhancing the Mediterranean UNESCO cultural heritage through innovative experiences by creating cross-border living labs for research and innovation. 

On the 3rd of March, iHERITAGE Portugal attended the "Bolsa Turismo Lisboa" (BTL) – Lisbon's International Tourism Exhibition, the largest and most significant tourism fair in Portugal. In collaboration with the projects' scientific coordination from Ualg - Universidade do Algarve, iHERITAGE Portugal promoted the touristic, cultural and sustainable opportunities of the iHERITAGE MED DIET mobile application. The presentation at the fair followed the theme of the conference "Sustainability Challenges - The role of tourism for a better future" organized by Turismo de Portugal on the 2nd of March.

Since its inception, the iHERITAGE project has focused on developing good practices and solutions to ensure that the tourism sector contributes to a more sustainable lifestyle in its four pillars: environmental, economic, cultural, and social. The Ualg - Universidade do Algarve-developed mobile application is an example of the implementation of sustainable tourism practices that balance the connection to the local community and nature with accessibility, responsibility, quality, and history of the region of the Algarve. By doing this, the application aims to reinforce the preservation, authenticity and true feeling of a globalised world!

Within iHERITAGE, following innovation-driven growth processes, brand strategies for the affirmation and better knowledge of intangible realities, the digitalisation of cultural routes have started an alternative way of showcasing the heritage of different cultural universes.  

For Portugal, this means developing digital platforms capable of enhancing the cultural experience, the history of the landscape and the sense of identity and continuity of knowledge of the Mediterranean Diet, more specifically, the country's geographic case study: Tavira. 

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Represented by the University of Algarve, the focus of the Portuguese team is to promote the Mediterranean Diet and its importance for the cultural identity of the Mediterranean. 

The iHERITAGE ICT Mediterranean platform for UNESCO world heritage is a strategic project funded by the EU through the ENI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme.