The President of the Government said today that the Azores Tourism can provide "a very positive contribution" to this sector at a national level, if we take into consideration that the Region has the necessary conditions to become a national reference in nautical tourism activities.

"The Azores can provide a very positive contribution not only in terms of figures, but also in the promotion of nautical tourism as an emerging sector," stated Vasco Cordeiro, who welcomed today the Secretary of State for Tourism. Adolfo Mesquita Nunes.

After the audience, the President of the Government stated that the coordination between national and regional entities in this particular area "could be improved in order to achieve better results" in this sector.

In fact, the reinforcement of coordination with national entities may improve the contribution provided by the Azores to the national presence in the U.S. and Canadian markets, particularly through the promotion of the Region as a nature destination.

"I am not just referring to our emigrant communities, but also to U.S. and Canadian citizens who have no connection to the Azores."
The President of the Government also pointed out that the tourism sector has to overcome several challenges in the Region which are not limited to the issue of air transport.

"After solving the issue of air transport, as we believe there are the conditions to do it successfully, the Azores Tourism has yet to overcome other challenges," stressed the President of the Government. According to him, it is fundamental that public and private entities take this situation into consideration so that may continue working to further strengthen the tourism sector.

As an example, Vasco Cordeiro pointed out the challenges of quality and diversification of income sources. In this context, the profitability of the destination should not be solely dependent on the accommodation and restaurant sectors, but rather on the improvement of the coordination between private and public entities in order to effectively promote the best the Azores have to offer.