ACIAB – The Commercial and Industrial Association of Arcos de Valdevez and Ponte da Barca is an association geared towards the regional and national development of the economy, by providing its associates with the support required for maintaining a climate of progress.
Besides its head office located in Arcos de Valdevez, ACIAB also has a delegation located in Ponte da Barca, and its scope can be extended to other municipalities through the establishment of delegations or other forms of representation.
Devote to making a difference and providing solutions, through a qualified team, ACIAB intends to continue its success through the development of a set of actions aimed at achieving greater expansion and promotion of the entrepreneurial tissue.
ACIAB’s associates have various perks and benefits provided though the services at their disposal, giving them high quality competitive and entrepreneurial advantages, such as:
- Administrative Department/ Associate Support
- Fairs and Exhibitions Department
- Projects Department
- Accounting and Fiscal Department
- Communication and Marketing Department
- Training Department
The defence of its associates’ legitimate interests was the main reason for ACIAB’s birth in 1911, and it still is today, despite the fact that “times and markets” are different.
ACIAB’s commitment and hard work is undertaken by the promotion of its associates and by providing the tools that allow them to compete and innovate. Presently, with the fierce competition of the global market, only those who innovate and adapt can surmount to something. Competitiveness implies innovation, and therefore, it is necessary to create the proper conditions to generate a distinct idea. Thus, ACIAB is attentive to its entrepreneurs’ needs and reality, overcoming problems as they arise.
Currently ACIAB has 1210 associates distributed by the different economical areas, such as: trade, industry and services. The entrepreneurial tissue in this geographical area is mainly composed of small and medium enterprises, which over the years have adapted to the market’s adversities, managing to enter the demanding foreign market in a very remarkable and honourable way.
ACIAB has developed its focus on the adoption of new ways of assessment, management, organization and the enhancement of human resources, by currently promoting ongoing actions that overcome problems and constraints. It is in this sense that ACIAB wants to continue working, by increasingly fostering the entrepreneurial tissue, and hence the region.
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL TISSUE
ACIAB develops its activity in the Upper Lima region, focusing mainly on the municipalities of Arcos de Valdevez and Ponte da Barca. These two municipalities have a distance of four kilometres between them and an "economy of proximity". Both belong to the district of Viana do Castelo and Lima Valley region, incorporated into NUT III, which covers a geographical area of 1,269.10 km².
The region of the Lima Valley is distinct for its breathtaking landscapes, which are in perfect harmony with its diverse ecosystems: marine, fluvial and terrain. There are several factors of attraction, such as the richness of the natural landscapes, the level of environmental preservation and the architectural, cultural and ethnographical heritage, craftsmanship and gastronomy.
These two municipalities, in the heart of the Upper Minho, are not only attractive locations but also very popular tourism sites, and the good roads allow, in a short period of time, access to central urban centres, namely: Viana do Castelo, Braga, Oporto and Vigo.
ARCOS DE VALDEVEZ
Arcos de Valdevez is a municipality comprised of 36 parishes, with a total area of 445.9 km² and approximately 22,855 inhabitants (INE Population Census 2011 – Preliminary data). The town centre is 44 km east of Viana Do Castelo; 37 km and 90 km North of Valença do Minho and the Spanish city of Vigo. It also partially borders the Spanish region of Galicia and the Municipalities of Ponte da Barca, Ponte de Lima, Paredes de Coura, Monção and Melgaço.
PONTE DA BARCA
Ponte da Barca is a Municipality comprised of 17 parishes, occupies an area of 189 km² and has approximately 12,027 inhabitants (INE Population Census 2011 – Preliminary data). The town centre is 39km east of Viana do Castelo, 33km and 86 km north of the cities of Braga and Oporto; 64 km and 94 km south of Valença do Minho and Vigo. It also partially borders the Spanish region of Galicia, with a quick connection to the Madalena border, Lindoso (29 km) and the municipalities of Arcos de Valdevez, Ponte de Lima, Terras de Bouro and Vila Verde.
This Upper Lima Sub-region is a potential development point of the central region of the communication triangle between Oporto, Vigo and Orense, resulting in potential regional and cross-border trade advantages.
TOURISM
The privileged location of the two municipalities, inserted into the Peneda-Geres National Park-PNPG, one of the greatest natural attractions of the country, makes the tourism proportion ratio increase, namely: rural, religious and nature tourism. Visitors have the opportunity to be in contact with a rich natural and historical heritage.
Arcos de Valdevez, inserted in the middle of PNPG, provides the opportunity to know unique places (such as the village of Soajo), good restaurants, hotel animation, handcrafts, folklore, fauna, flora and a rich and tasty gastronomy, which turn this village into a reference point, with unique and unforgettable flavours.
Ponte da Barca, also inserted in PNPG, offers visitors compulsory touristic destinations (such as the parish of Lindoso), due to its natural beauty and the Lima River, where fishing for lamprey or the practice of water sports are possible. Good restaurants, hotel animation, handcrafts, folklore, gastronomy, fauna and flora also contribute to making Ponte da Barca a reference point.
