L-Tour
Actividades
L-TOUR is a meeting point between the Polytechnic University of Tomar, other higher education institutions, public bodies, companies, tourism and cultural stakeholders and communities. The following projects illustrate the kind of work the laboratory delivers.
HITTS — Heritage Innovation, Territory, Tourism and Sustainability (Interreg Sudoe, 2024–2026)
A European project on sustainable tourism based on the cultural and natural heritage of rural areas in the Sudoe space, with eight partners from Spain, Portugal and France. For the Médio Tejo Intermunicipal Community, a project partner, a Polytechnic University of Tomar team coordinated by the director of L-TOUR designed and applied the model for identifying and evaluating good practices (concepts, criteria, indicators and calculation formula) and selected fifteen good practices from Portugal, Spain and France, including the Romanesque Route, Valle Salado de Añana, Las Médulas and the Caminito del Rey. The results were published in the HITTS good-practice guide (2025, ISBN 978-989-9170-35-3), available in Portuguese, English, Spanish and French.
Templar Route in the Médio Tejo region (2021)
A route-structuring study commissioned by the Médio Tejo Intermunicipal Community and carried out by the company HighSun, with technical and scientific advice from members of L-TOUR. The laboratory's contribution covered the validation of the Templar heritage resources of the municipalities, the definition of unifying themes and reference figures, including Gualdim Pais, historical support documents for each theme, and the mapping of resource concentration.
Seminar "A Fundação do Castelo" (The Founding of the Castle) — Templar Festival 2026
A seminar in the official programme of the Templar Festival (Festa Templária), held on 9 July 2026 at the Convent of Christ and organised by the Municipality of Tomar, the Convent of Christ and the Polytechnic University of Tomar, with scientific programming by L-TOUR. Taking the founding of Tomar Castle in 1160 as its starting point, two panels (foundation, territory and military orders; heritage, communication and contemporary experience) discussed how this founding moment continues to be interpreted, communicated and experienced.
Other projects involving members of the laboratory
- FesTab — The Tabuleiros Festival, Cultural Heritage and the Community (FCT / Techn&Art, 2021–2023).
- INSIGNIA — Military Tourism Route: a model for enhancing historical and military heritage (FCT / Techn&Art, 2021–2024).
- WaterRIVER.TOUR — Sustainable water management in the nautical tourism strategy of the Médio Tejo region (FCT / Techn&Art, 2021–2024).
- HERITAGE GAME — Gamification for heritage education (Erasmus+, 2023–2026).
- World Tourism Day events, with book launches and sessions with students and partners.
The integration of students and graduates into real projects is a central part of the laboratory's work, described under "Pedagogical Activity".
