Short-Term Rentals Bring Tourism To Lesser Known Areas In Portugal

MARVAO, PORTUGAL - DECEMBER 11: Short-term rental establishment Dom Dinis and street view of the walled town of Marvao, a point of natural strategic defense and notorious for the smuggling trade carried in the area before Portugal and Spain joined the European Union, on December 11, 2021 in Marvao, Portugal. There has never been an actual wall dividing the border between Spain and Portugal. Just a very thin line that, over the years, has moved back and forth facilitating smuggling of goods through the many worn paths crossing the line that separates both countries. Before Portugal and Spain joined the European Union border paths were used for trading illegal goods like tobacco and coffee. Spaniards would go to Portugal for cotton goods or coffee, and Portuguese would go to Spain to procure merchandise that sold at lesser cost across the border. Now these paths are trekking routes in the area of Marvão, where tourists can stay at short-term rentals, hike on foot, go horseback riding or biking in the area. (Photo by Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)