On 8 July, the Braga Youth Centre hosted the Braga Hackathon, an initiative promoted by Braga Municipality within the framework of the European project POST – Polycentric Sustainable Tourism, co-funded by the Interreg Atlantic Area programme. The event brought together students, entrepreneurs and professionals from different fields with a shared goal: to design innovative solutions for a more sustainable, decentralised and participatory tourism model.

The day reflected the city’s commitment to promoting new ideas capable of responding to current challenges in the tourism sector, particularly regarding the enhancement of cultural heritage and the revitalisation of lesser-known territories. Throughout the event, participating teams developed proposals that showcased creativity and strong potential for real impact on territorial management and development.

Thanks to Interreg funding, prizes of €1,500, €1,000 and €500 were awarded to the three best-ranked projects. First place went to the Northern Technological and Scientific Route, followed by Mototour and the Sustainable Tourists League. These initiatives demonstrated how innovation, youth entrepreneurship and cross-disciplinary collaboration can drive transformation within the tourism sector.

The hackathon featured a high-level jury composed of representatives from academia, business and the tourism sector, including Startup Braga, the Catholic University of Portugal, Porto and Northern Portugal Tourism, the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo and the University of Minho. Their involvement helped ensure that the winning ideas aligned with the strategic priorities of the POST programme: tourism decentralisation, sustainability, innovation and the smart use of data.

The Braga Hackathon not only showcased the region’s emerging talent but also reaffirmed the importance of citizen co-creation in building more balanced and inclusive tourism models. It stands as a step forward towards a tourism sector with greater adaptability and resilience in northern Portugal.