The President of the Government received the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Lisbon at an audience held on Friday. During the meeting, Vasco Cordeiro took the opportunity to highlight the importance of the Dutch market in the development of the tourism sector in the Azores.
"The efforts the Region is undertaking to promote this sector also comprise the Dutch market, particularly in the attraction of Dutch tourists to the Azores and the contribution they may provide to our economy," said Vasco Cordeiro after the audience with Henk Soeters.
With regard to overnight stays in Azorean hotels, the number of Dutch tourists registered an increase of 25.4 percent between January and May this year, compared with the same period in 2012.
Vasco Cordeiro also stressed that this meeting, held in Ponta Delgada in the end of the visit made by Ambassador Henk Soeters to the Region, provided an opportunity to exchange views on various subjects of mutual interest.
"I believe this visit was extremely useful and timely insofar as it allowed the exchange of views," the President of the Government stressed, adding that the challenges the Azores face in the beginning of the new financial programming period 2014-2020 was another matter under analysis at the meeting.