The goal is to make visits more accessible, interactive, and welcoming, it was announced on 17 March.

The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, presented the new app and the self-guided visiting model at the Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre on Faial Island. This new option will be available at several centres in the Azores.

The main part of the project is the Azores Natural Parks app, which lets visitors "explore the spaces on their own, in an informed and accessible way," said the Environment Secretary in a statement from the Regional Government.

Through the app, visitors can use audio guides and videos to learn about exhibits. These are organised by points of interest linked to panels, display cases, exhibits, or natural areas.

The Secretary said some centres also have these points of interest outside, like at the Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre, allowing visitors to understand the full landscape and nature of each place.

Alonso Miguel said the app lets visitors explore at their own pace, learn more, and enjoy a dynamic experience. He also stressed that the app is for everyone, regardless of ability.

The application offers content in Portuguese and English. For people with visual impairments, it provides audio content with detailed descriptions of the spaces and exhibits.

The official added that video content with sign language interpretation is available for deaf or hard-of-hearing people.

He also said the app uses tools like VoiceOver on Apple devices and TalkBack on Android devices to help visually impaired users.

The app works online or offline, so visitors can download content ahead of time and use it when there is no internet, which happens often in nature.

In addition to supporting visits to environmental centres, the app gathers information about the Regional Network of Protected Areas of the Azores. It serves as a platform for discovering parks, identifying points of interest, and planning visits, as the Azorean executive explained.

For Alonso Miguel, this initiative represents “an important qualitative leap,” which will “bring people even closer to nature and make the visitor experience more accessible, more inclusive, and more interactive.”

It also reinforces “the Azores' position as a territory that is committed to sustainability, environmental education, and the enhancement of its natural heritage,” he considered.

Alonso Miguel emphasised that, in 2021, the Azores Environmental Interpretation Centres received approximately 229,000 visitors.

“The most recent data, relating to 2025, points to more than 422,000 visitors,” he indicated. He noted that, over four years, demand for these spaces has almost doubled.