Feature: Trend of volunteer tourism rising in Portugal

While tourists visiting Portugal are not short on options on how to spend their holidays, some people traveling here also want to leave a positive mark.

That's the concept behind Impactrip, an alternative travel operator officially launched this year, set up by entrepreneurs Rita Marques and Diogo Areosa in 2013.

"The idea is to travel like a local, to discover Portugal but to also leave a social and environmental impact, from helping homeless people with food to inspiring children in need," Rita Marques tells Xinhua.

Marques discovered the concept of volunteer tourism while traveling throughout South East Asia, where she was inspired to create an alternative to mass tourism in her home country.

"When I traveled throughout South East Asia, I did voluntary work and met like-minded people who didn't want to just follow tourism guides," Rita explains. "Portugal is also facing so many social difficulties that we also wanted to do something positive here."

Earlier this week, Rita took a Brazilian family on a tour of Ribatejo, a beautiful traditional region in southern Portugal where the meadowland blends with the Tagus river.

They enjoyed a boat ride in the middle of the river and saw wild horses, and went to a nearby village full of wooden colorful houses, and had a picnic with regional products. But they also helped clean up rubbish found lying around and took it onto the boat to be recycled.

"The kind of people that approach us have traveled quite a bit. They are looking for something different and have high environmental awareness," Rita points out.

One of Rita's main concerns is the country's vulnerable youth, so Impactrip also visits social organizations where travelers interact with the children. For example, by teaching them English and helping with their homework or simply by inspiring them by talking about their own careers.

Impactrip is now looking to expand to the rest of Europe, where Rita says the concept has not been fully explored.

"There is this notion that there are no problems in Europe but in fact there are many," she explains. "Mass tourism destroys traditions and has negative impacts on the environment, so we want to enhance environmental awareness, fight social problems and leave a positive mark."

Prices range from 29 euros (31.88 U.S. dollars) for short-term activities to around 300 euros for long-term activities. Endit