NEW’S | Revision of Strategic and Marketing Plan for Tourism in the Azores under Public Discussion
The Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures presented in Ponta Delgada the document revising the Strategic and Marketing Plan for Tourism in the Azores 2030 (PEMTA), produced by IPDT – Institute for Planning and Development of Tourism, which will be under public discussion for 30 days from the end of this week.
The Regional Secretary, Berta Cabral, stated before the presentation that the document will take into account “the cultural and historical context and the distinctive products from each island in the promotion of the Azores as a destination. A sustainable destination at an economic, environmental and social level. A nature destination.”
This is one of the fundamental guidelines of the revision of the PEMTA for 2030, the Regional Secretary of Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures said, considering that this plan “will guide the future of the Azores destination in the next seven years.”
The revision of PEMTA is intended to consolidate three strategic goals: the increase in demand, the mitigation of seasonality and a wider distribution of tourist flows across the archipelago.
The government official was keen to stress that the revision of the strategic plan also takes into account a factor she considers of utmost importance: “Tourism is only good when it is good for those who visit us and for those who are visited. This interaction and balance between residents and visitors are fundamental and decisive for us.”
For Berta Cabral, “it is necessary to add value to all the islands by highlighting on each one of them what is different and what makes them unique.”
The Regional Secretary also stated that “the strategic guidelines that have been in place since the liberalisation of airspace at the main Azorean airports (Ponta Delgada and Lajes) were decisive in bringing the Azores to a different level than it was before 2015 in terms of tourism. We acknowlege that 2022 was the best year ever, even after a pandemic and a war in Europe.”
Berta Cabral stressed that the success of tourism in the Azores “was not only due to the efforts of the Government but of all those involved in this sector and of society as a whole. With the efforts of all, we have managed to surpass all the indicators for 2019. In terms of overnight stays, at a regional level, we grew by more than 6.8% and by 21% in terms of revenue.”
“The new indicators show that the Tourism sector is greatly contributing to regional wealth, job creation and the development of our economy, given its far-reaching impact on all other sectors. Tourism has had a positive impact on the remaining sectors, from the more traditional ones, such as food production in the agricultural sector, to all investments that have arisen in this sector,” she stressed.
The government emphasised that “it is not our purpose to make any disruption, nor any cut, with all previous strategies. On the contrary, we defend that what resulted should be improved and not changed, considering the changes that have taken place in recent years.”
The PEMTA revision document can be consulted as of Friday on the website of the Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, so as to facilitate the submission of contributions for its improvement during a 30-day period.
Berta Cabral also stressed that the close monitoring of the implementation of the plan will be essential as well as a mid-term revision to ensure that it is updated according to the fluctuations that have proven to be very dynamic in current times.
The revision of PEMTA, technically conducted by IPDT, brought together contributions from companies and stakeholders in the sector, including residents on all islands. It is expected that the public consultation phase now beginning will reinforce these contributions and encourage widespread involvement from the community.
GRA/RÁDIOILHÉU
