The Plan to Promote Marinas e Cruise Ports of the Azores was presented in Vila do Porto this morning.
Maximise the demand for the Azores by sailors and cruise operators, whether through advertising campaigns using brochures, websites and other resources, whether through the presence of the Azores at boat shows and fairs abroad is the main purpose of this plan.
With these actions, the Government expects to increase the number of yachts and cruise ships that seek regional marinas and ports as well as their average stay time.
For the President of the Government of the Azores, the presented plan is the result of the commitment that has led the Government to invest more than 150 million Euros in the construction of infrastructures to support recreational boating cruise tourism.
Carlos César reminded the reintroduction of maritime passenger transport, which will transport this year the largest number of passengers ever, thus providing an important support to many local economies on different islands and serving thousands of people.
By presenting this plan on Santa Maria Island, “the Government is paying attention to the investment in maritime and maritime tourism infrastructures as one of the strategy pillars to boost the so-called “Cohesion Islands,” which presently benefit from increased and specialised support in the multiple aspects of public policies,” stated Carlos César.
Mentioning many and important undetakings related to the sea – already implemented, such as the “Portas do Mar,” or at a project stage, such as the renewal and planning of the Coastal Area of Horta City and the Cruise Terminal in Porto de Pipas – Carlos César stressed the idea that the Azores should take full advantage of their relation with the sea and boost their potentialities in cruise tourism.
The Portuguese ports registered a total of 741 cruise stopovers in 2008, which corresponds to a growth of 11% in comparison to 2007. In this context, the Azorean ports are in 3rd place, with 83 stopovers and a market share of 11%.
For the President of the Government, the multiplying effects of these stopovers as well as the activities of the marinas have created more jobs, boosting the local entrepreneurial dynamics on several islands.
Assuring the necessity to further enhance the Azorean maritime attractiveness, the President of the Government said that “this is the structured ambition that justifies and informs the Plan to Promote the Marinas and Cruise Ports of the Azores.”