Nicolau Vale Pinheiro da Veiga’s master’s project focuses on creating a tourism unit network to boost employment and heritage.
Master’s thesis project at ISMAT for the creation of a Network of Rural Tourism Units through the establishment of the Douro Agritourism Association. On April 14, 2026, the public defense of Nicolau Llobet Vale Pinheiro da Veiga’s master’s thesis, titled “Creation of a Network of Rural Tourism Units: The Creation of the Douro Agritourism Association,” took place online.
The project was presented as part of the Master’s Program in Management and Innovation in Tourism and Hospitality, jointly offered by ISMAT and Lusófona University (Lisbon and Porto).
The jury was chaired by Professor Adão Flores, Ph.D., Associate Professor at ISMAT, and included Professor Margarete Arbugeri, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at ISMAT, as the examiner, and Professor Miguel Nuno Portugal, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at ISMAT, who supervised the thesis together with Professor João Pedro Portugal, Ph.D.
The thesis highlighted the importance and expected impacts of establishing the Douro Agritourism Association, ranging from job creation and training to the diversification of agricultural income, the strengthening of local offerings, and the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage.
