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Outdoor activities, and in particular hiking activities, are amongst most significant tourism offer in many destinations, becoming even more relevant as COVID-19 pandemic hits Europe. Tourists are increasingly keen to travel to natural, rural and undertourism destinations, with a particular interest on Protected Areas (PAs). In order to provide extraordinary outdoor experiences, as hiking, a diversity of trails with certain infrastructure and general conditions, is critical. Yet, little research has focused on evaluating the existing conditions on a systematic approach, and based on specific assessment instruments. This paper aims at building upon this research gap, by proposing the assessment of the trails and the potential for hiking activities, in Northern Portugal, a tourism destination increasingly known for its natural and green landscape, especially vacacioned for outdoor activities. Given their well preserved landscapes, and natural and cultural resources, protected areas lend themselves as preferred settings for outdoor activities. Therefore, a comparison of existing conditions, inside and outside PAs will be performed. The assessment matrix employed in this study is original and innovative, constructed based on the analysis of related literature, but mostly with contributions from various professionals of outdoor tourism activities. The results of the assessment process are discussed and opportunities for improvement are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the tourism sector presents many opportunities and challenges. Outdoor Tourism (OT), due to the unusual situation experienced by the pandemic caused by COVID-19, maybe one of the main opportunities to promote the local development of tourist destinations. Most of the literature developed in this context has focused the demand side. Therefore, the investigation intended to fill this gap, considering the perspective of the supply side, taking into account a vision of sustainable development. To meet this gap, the main objective is to contribute to the characterization of Outdoor Tourism (OT) in the North of Portugal, and understand the potential of OT in the perspective of supply., thirty-eight tourist entertainment companies (TEC) were interviewed to assess supply and perceived customers' motivations. Of the seven Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistical Purposes (NUTS), the Northern region was considered to be an area with enormous potential for Nature-related tourist). For the supply side, seasonality and climate were identified as important factors supporting environment preservation. Radical experiences, adventure and getting out of the routine were identified as motivating demand factors, as well as the contact with Nature and the landscape. We have also observed that if we consider the stimulation of the local economy by OT, there is still a lot to do. The evidence pointed to some social imbalance, namely related to employability. Employees were hired according to the evolution of demand, which favours unemployment and social instability. Also, the tourists/costumers are the main channels of communication of the activities; the word-ofmouth (WOM) of costumers' experiences, personally or through online social media, takes on a prominent role. In this sense, tourists' online reviews, testimonies and word-of-mouth can be optimized through social networks and digital marketing. Finally, to evaluate the region's potential for the OT, the interviewees suggested integrating the players involved with the OT into a single network, supporting the activities and promoting the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]