Tourism, the valorisation of historical heritage and the economy of culture

The "Templar Days" event in Portugal

Abstract

Portugal has a vast heritage legacy related to the Order of the Temple. Historical-military re-enactment tourism events have been described as a lever for territorial development. This case study aims to illustrate the state of the art on the reality of Military Tourism under the templar subject, and its potential for innovation in territories that integrate thematic, historical, and cultural dimensions to diversify, differentiate and promote tourist destinations. The focus of this study is on the Templar Days (TD) events, currently promoted by non-profit civic associations related to the historical theme of “Knights Templar.” A documentary analysis of the content of the online pages and a systematic literature review were conducted to investigate this model of historical re-enactment event. This study discloses the importance of cultural diversification and resulted in research which historically positions the importance of "Templar Days" (TD) as an initiative that revives the Templar memorial and, at the same time, socially and economically benefits community-based territorial development. The European Union supports initiatives with this type of framework.