André Gomes adds that he has already received a guarantee from the government that the increase in transfers will occur in the 2025 state budget, a situation that he considers to be elementary justice, because since 2016, there has been no change in the amounts transferred.
André Gomes, President of the Algarve Tourism Region, reveals in the Conversa Capital – Antena 1/Jornal de Negócios programme that regional tourism entities will boost funding in the next budget for 2025.
It has not been implemented in the program that the government has now presented to accelerate the economy, but the president of the Algarve Tourist Area (RTA) reveals that the executive will boost the funding of tourist areas in the next state budget and is preparing the change legislation that will allow these entities to be granted more autonomy and closer to the regions.
André Gomes adds that he has already received a guarantee from the government that the increase in transfers will occur in the 2025 state budget, a situation that he considers to be elementary justice, because since 2016, there has been no change in the amounts transferred.
The director also sees the economic acceleration package as positive, “but it is necessary to see the practical effectiveness of the measures, which left financing to trigger major events.”
“The economic acceleration package approved by the cabinet is interesting, but it only addresses part of the sector’s problems,” he says.
The head of Algarve Tourism believes that anything that improves the lives of businesses is welcome, but he is not committed to evaluating the measures until they are standardized and their effectiveness is clear.
In the package of 60 measures presented by the government, there are 16 measures targeting the tourism sector, but André Gomes, despite having a guarantee that the government will look into this issue, regrets that strengthening the funding line for fundraising for major events.
The President of the Algarve Tourist Region, in an interview with Antena1 and Negócios, agrees that tourism remains an area with high potential for economic growth for the country and expects a summer and a year 2024 with more revenues and more demand, that is, a new record.
“There is no longer room for increasing accommodation prices in the Algarve as has been the case until now,” says André Gomes, who advocates strengthening TAP’s connections with Faro.
The director believes that there will be no water shortage in the Algarve until the end of the year and recommends the implementation of a tourist tax throughout the region and with equal value. André Gomes considers that relaxing consumption restriction measures is always a “risk”. However, he highlights the efforts made by everyone that have already allowed significant reductions in consumption.
The head of Algarve Tourism says that preparations are also underway to change the organisational model of regional tourism entities, which will give them more administrative and financial autonomy.
Furthermore, the President of the Algarve Tourist Region agrees with the government when he states that tourism remains an area with high potential for economic growth for the country and expects a summer and a year 2024 with more revenues and greater demand than in 2023, which was already a record year.
Regarding the increase in hotel prices in the Algarve, he says that from his point of view “there is no room for increases such as those that have occurred in recent years, and that is also undesirable” and stresses that any increase must be “accompanied by an increase in the quality of service.”
André Gomes rejects the idea that this is the reason why Portuguese people are choosing other destinations. In fact, he asserts that domestic demand for the Algarve has increased, and what happens is that it is more diluted throughout the year and less concentrated in the summer.
As for foreigners, André Gomes says there is a growing preference and interest among North Americans, but adds that traditional markets such as Germany and the UK have also seen consistent growth. In this context, the RTA president also stated that he would like TAP to strengthen its ties with Faro, specifically national ties, closely linked to work and business, as happened in Porto.
The director also wants mobility in the region to be part of the government’s intentions, as “access to the Algarve is always more difficult”.
The tourism tax already paid in some municipalities also contributes to the improvements being made, but André Gomes advocates applying the tourism tax throughout the region and in equal amounts.
