Jump Simulators and Olive Trails Signal a Tourism Rebirth in Inland Portugal

The promise of Portugal’s interior is quietly shifting from slogan to bricks-and-mortar reality. In the Tagus valley, a disused paratrooper compound is being reborn as an interactive museum, while a few kilometres upstream Abrantes is weaving its ancient olive culture into a year-round visitor trail. Both schemes draw on a fresh wave of state incentives designed to steer tourism and jobs away from the overcrowded coast and anchor them in small towns that until recently watched their youth leave.

Tancos: airborne history meets virtual reality

The low-slung buildings flanking the EN3 at Tancos once filtered recruits bound for Portugal’s airborne regiment. By late 2025 the same corridors will guide tourists through seven exhibition rooms that blend archive footage, immersive jump simulators and artefacts dating back to 1956, the year the first paratrooper wings were pinned. Roughly €620,000 is being spent, with 70 % covered by non-refundable support from the Linha +Interior Turismo programme. Mayor Fernando Freire believes the project will place Vila Nova da Barquinha on the map of European military tourism, a niche whose success stories range from the Imperial War Museums in London to the Interpretation Centre of Aljubarrota in Leiria.

Planners have learnt from those examples. The Tancos team is partnering with the Para-Clube Nacional “Os Boinas Verdes”, local schools and the Army to ensure content feels authentic, not promotional. A mobile app will let visitors explore nearby forts and former battlefields, encouraging overnight stays rather than quick photo stops. Municipal officials expect the centre to become a “living classroom” for history teachers and to spark new businesses in guiding, merchandising and themed accommodation.

Abrantes: turning liquid heritage into economic fuel

Forty kilometres upriver another experiment is underway. Abrantes has been pressing olives since the Phoenicians docked on the Iberian Peninsula, yet until now the story was told only during harvest season. The project “Three Thousand Years with Olive Oil” aims to change that by building a permanent interpretation hub inside the municipal market, rolling out multilingual signage across groves and mills, and curating events that stretch from technical tastings to showcookings with rising chefs.

With a budget of €399,750 — €236,775 in grants — the town is banking on olivoturismo to diversify an economy still vulnerable to single-crop agriculture. Highlights already locked in for 2025 include an Ibérico Olive Symposium, guided walks among centenary trees, and workshops on recovering abandoned groves through the “Apadrinha uma Oliveira” initiative. City councillor Luís Dias frames the plan as “a bet on identity”: tourists leave with bottles of Galega extra-virgin and a deeper understanding of how climate, geology and craft converge in central Portugal.

The money trail: 37 inland projects share €25.8 M

Tancos and Abrantes are only two pieces of a €25.8 M puzzle signed in Coimbra on 22 September. In all, 37 ventures secured funding under the last call of Linha +Interior Turismo, with €16.6 M granted outright. The Centre Region captured the largest slice — 18 projects ranging from cherry-themed gastronomy to river-beach makeovers. The North will channel support into astrotourism and Camino-linked religious sites, while Alentejo concentrates on adventure sports along disused rail lines. Even the Algarve, anxious to ease summer crowding, won modest backing for inland walking trails.

The scheme’s successor, “Crescer com o Turismo,” holds another €30 M and stays open until the end of 2026, giving municipalities time to refine ideas or forge cross-border alliances with Spain.

Why this matters to people living in Portugal

For residents of Lisbon or Porto eyeing weekend escapes, the new attractions promise shorter travel times, smaller crowds and the chance to spend tourism euros where they are most needed. For interior communities, the stakes are higher: population decline, ageing demographics and limited job options have long constrained growth. Officials hope that by anchoring visitors to thematic hubs — military heritage in Tancos, olive culture in Abrantes — they can seed micro-economies that keep cafés, guesthouses and craft workshops open beyond the high season.

The approach also dovetails with national climate goals. Both municipalities are working with Comboios de Portugal to fine-tune train schedules, encouraging arrivals by rail rather than car. Early blueprints suggest discount tickets that bundle public transport, museum entry and local tastings, a model already used on the Douro wine line.

Hurdles on the runway

Hard lessons from earlier rural projects reveal that opening day fanfare often fades once maintenance bills arrive. Tancos and Abrantes plan to publish annual impact reports covering visitor numbers, revenue generated and carbon footprint. They are also courting private sponsors — defence contractors in one case, gourmet brands in the other — to shoulder part of the operating costs.

Another concern is workforce. Interactive exhibits demand technicians, guides and marketers fluent in multiple languages. Both towns have partnered with the Polytechnic of Tomar to create training modules; graduates will earn internships that could mature into full-time posts, helping to stave off the brain drain that has plagued central Portugal.

The road ahead

Ground breaking has already started in Tancos, and officials insist the interactive centre will open by Q4 2025. Abrantes’ olive route will unfold in phases, beginning with the March symposium and culminating in a full visitor circuit by 2026. Success will ultimately hinge on whether locals feel the projects serve them as much as they serve tourists. If that balance is struck, Portugal’s interior might finally trade its reputation for scenic but sleepy for one that reads vibrant and viable — and do so on its own cultural terms.