Borders as a Space for Mobility, Cooperation, and Tourism

Abstract

The border is framed as a political/administrative element, as a space of contact of cultures and geographies, as a line of separation and permeability, generator of mobilities of different scales. During the last decades, the Iberian border has experienced depopulation dynamics and socio-economic reorganisations that have transformed the ways of working, the models of social organisation, occupation, and land use. In this context of growing mobility, tourism has become an important activity for the border due to its ability to generate employment and foster economic and social development. The mobilization of natural and cultural resources assumes significance in the valorization of these spaces, in line with the current policies of cross-border cooperation promoted by the EU and the efforts of the two Iberian countries. The border between central Portugal and Spain is taken as a study object, highlighting the existing dynamics and forms of cooperation, given the heritage values, capable of generating new attractions and functions in the oldest European border.