Ilumina Raia

The Ilumina Raia Project - which combines history, innovation and culture - is part of the plan for the promotion and sustainability of frontier tourism, in the EURORACE Euroregion (Alentejo-Central-Extremadura).

This regional initiative serves as the basis for the creation of the brand “Night Cultural Tourism Destination” - through the outdoor lighting of monuments of historical interest, in towns and villages in Portugal and Spain.

Ilumina Raia's mission is to reinforce the role of culture and sustainable tourism in the economic development of some municipalities, in order to combat the desertification of border areas.

A Bright Idea for the Interior Regions

The climate in the geographical areas of the interior - Alentejo and Extremadura - is marked by hot and dry summers, with temperatures that can exceed 40ºC, especially in the months of June, July and August.

At this time, the sun shines 10 hours a day, and temperatures drop to 25ºC and 20ºC at night, inviting you to take a walk outside.

The pilot project presents three monuments of historical and cultural interest:

The Castle of Ouguela, in the municipality of Campo Maior (Portalegre)
The Hermitage of Our Lady of Carrión, in Albuquerque (Badajoz)
The Castle of Valencia de Alcántara, in the district of Sierra de San Pedro (Cáceres)

The concept will be implemented in other municipalities in the EURORACE Euroregion by June 2026.

These new tourist routes create business and employment opportunities in border regions. This includes investing in nature (protected areas), historical (hermitages, fortresses and castles), cultural (routes and festivals) and gastronomic (restaurants and events) tourism.

The Promoters of the Ilumina Project

Led by the Iberdrola Foundation of Spain, the Ilumina Raia Project has as partners the Alentejo and Ribatejo Regional Tourism Entity, the Alentejo Regional Tourism Promotion Agency, the Extremadura Directorate-General for Tourism and the Extremadura Tourism Cluster.

Ilumina is 75% funded by the Interreg Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Program (POCTEP 2021-2027), the remaining funding being provided by the Iberdrola Foundation of Spain.

Established on May 27, 1994, the EURORACE (Alentejo-Center-Extremadura) Euroregion is the result of the union of three regions: Alentejo and Central Portugal, as well as the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, of Spain.

The Cross-Border Cooperation Protocol, signed on September 21, 2009, by the Extremadura Government and the Coordination and Regional Development Committees of Alentejo and the Center, reinforced cooperation relations between the two countries.

The Raia or La Raya is the border region between Portugal and Spain. A geographical space, in which populations share historical, linguistic, cultural and economic elements.

Its history is associated with the reconquest of the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. It originated in the 1143 Treaty of Zamora, which marks the birth of Portugal as an independent kingdom, and in the 1297 Treaty of Alcanizes, which establishes the borders between the two countries.

Due to the need to ensure defense and surveillance in the border region, the two kingdoms built castles and fortresses, which bear witness to centuries of history and examples of military architecture.

The Ilumina Raia Project promotes the development, protection and promotion of the cultural, historical, natural and gastronomic heritage of the Raia region, especially in Alentejo (Portugal) and Extremadura (Spain).

This sustainable and ecological tourism initiative, adapted to climate change and with low carbon content in the cross-border area, aims to improve seasonality and increase the attractiveness of these areas, affected by geographical depopulation.

Ilumina Raia intends to settle the population and combat the demographic challenge, through new business and employment opportunities, with the creation of new “Night Cultural Tourism Destination” routes.