The President welcomed the representatives of Carlton Life, Ribeira Grande EcoResort, Peniche Shipyards and of Ydreams Açores at the Sant’Ana Palace on Friday. This is a group of investors who wish to implement projects strategic multi-million Euro projects in the Azores, which will create many jobs.
After the audiences, Carlos César stated that the announced investment and the projects associated with them are an asset for the Government of the Azores. “Firstly,” said the President of the Government, “because they are stimulants at a moment when we know there are some inhibitions from the standpoint of investors as well as some difficulties in monitoring the bank sector in the investment effort; therefore they become necessary because with the current scarcity of public resources, private investment becomes extremely valuable. And that is good news for the Azores.”
“Secondly,” continued Carlos César, “since it is a set of investments involving private capital, millions of Euros and the generation of jobs, some of which are highly skilled, as well as the establishment of new qualified business areas and professional skills in the Azores. These are investments that strengthen the sectors we have considered as strategically important, whether the exports sector, which is an added value in our region and, thus, represent a great hope in this difficult economic context we are facing.”
Furthermore, the President of the Government stressed that “these investments are also attracted, on one hand, by a generous system of incentives, such as SIDER which is a scheme that provides a higher amount of support than the national incentive system and they are also the result of a very thorough follow-up that has been recently developed by the Regional Secretariat for the Economy and the Investment Promotion Agency, which have carried out a technical and thorough work without which it would not be possible to provide the necessary conditions for the implementation of these projects. 
For Carlos César, the goal is “to work with those who want to work seriously in the Azores, with whom we want to establish partnerships to benefit our Region. And do so in areas that correspond to emerging sectors, particularly in the export sector and in the ones that enhance our region, bringing new skills. I think that the examples we gave with the audiences granted to these investors, whose investment projects at an advanced development stage, are good news for our region.”
Specifically, Ydreams, the leading company in the Portuguese market with international profile, led by Antonio Câmara, intends to establish a spin off in the Azores to produce interactive solutions for international exports, in particular virtual viewpoint networks, interactive signage and educational platforms.
The Peniche Shipyards, together with APTO, propose to invest in the Azores through the Estaleiros de Reparação Naval da Madalena do Pico - Naval Canal, Lda. For the President of the Government, “the presence of the Peniche Shipyards in the reactivation of shipbuilding in the Azores, the assistance to our own fleet and the possibility to provide services to external fleets, endows the Azores with the competences of a maritime region, which brings an added value to the Region that would otherwise benefit companies outside the geographical context of the Azores.”
Another project was developed by a group of businesspeople linked to the world surfing circuit, with an extensive international experience in investment and promotion of events, which aims to build an Eco-Resort in the Santa Barbara beach area, Ribeira Grande, which is designed to capture the tourist segments related to surfing and other nautical activities. For Carlos César, “we are in the presence of a sector that reflects a truly exceptional reputation, which may lead to significant tourist flows over an extended period of time.”
Finally, a group of national promoters, led by Joao Pedro Guimarães, where you can join the Pestana Group, intends to develop a project in the area of assisted homes and intensive care units in which the Grupo Pestana might participate.  The project should be carried out with local investors with the establishment of partnerships.