Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2021

7 www.rallydeportugal.pt 20-23 / 05 / 2021 77 H istorically the stage of the main automobile events in the country and Europe, the North of Portugal welcomes the return of the Rally of Portugal to its territory after the interruption of 2020, already fractured for a long period of decades in which the mother-race of motor sport was absent from the paths of the region, resuming in 2015 with all glamour. In fact, it is with great rejoicement that Turismo do Porto and Norte de Portugal supports this edition of 2021, shared between Porto and North and the Central Region, looking at this as the first major event of the year, catalyst of tourism and assuming it as a good foreshadowing for the summer, when we await the return of national and international tourists, hoping that they will return in force to the North, recognizing it – in addition to the countless virtues of its exceptional and diversified tourism offer – the strength of resilience when facing the long months of the crisis. The ability of the destiny to reinvent itself and its performers to mobilize and adapt, will surely convey total confidence to those who seek the territory for leisure or business. Between 20 and 23 May, the engines of the WRC Rally of Portugal will be heard again in the region. Starting from its headquarters in Matosinhos towards the winding roads of the nine municipalities, accelerating in intoxicating scenarios of wide horizons, under magnificent skies, skim the summits of the hills in an osmotic mixture between the tones of nature and the colorful graphics of cars at high speed. Paredes, Lousada, Felgueiras, Vieira do Minho, Cabe- ceiras de Basto, Amarante, Porto, Mondim de Basto and Fafe are the host municipalities of the queen race, committed to the reception of the sport’s aficionados, cooperating in everything so that the Rally of Portugal 2021 happens, with total safety, in compliance with health and safety standards. Enthusiastic about the possibility of reopening the doors of the region to all who follow the race, Turismo do Porto and Norte de Portugal and the nine muni- cipalities combine efforts to ensure that the staff, professionals, teams, the pilots, the media and, of course, the public know the region better, appreciate its landscapes, taste its gastronomy and its wines, rest in its accommodation units and, above all, soon return to the experience,withthegreatest tranquility,the thousand experiences that Porto and North offers in all seasons in its vast territory, acclaimed by experts, influencers and awarded with numerous prizes in areas of excellence of international tourism. Certain of the extreme importance that this great sports event represents in terms of economic impact and tourism notoriety for the territory, I appeal to all that, with their presence, at the 54 th Rally of Portugal is even more memorable, contributing definitively to the recovery of the region and the country in 2021! Luís Pedro Martins President of Porto and North Portugal Turism WELCOME WRC RALLY OF PORTUGAL 2021 THE NORTH IS AT THE TOP