The Regional Secretary for the Economy welcomed the stopover director of Holland America Lines, Simon Dowes, who is visiting the Autonomous Region of the Azores to become better acquainted with it, at an audience to exchange compliments in Ponta Delgada this morning.

Vasco Cordeiro mentioned that the visit of this prominent official from one of the world’s largest cruise tourism companies, belonging to the group “Carnival Cruises,” has the purpose to disseminate the potentialities of the Azores in the cruise tourism market not only with regard to the existing infrastructures, such as the case of the cruise terminal at the “Portas do Mar,” but also with regard to the Government’s projects to reinforce and improve the offer for cruise tourism, which will be the construction of a new cruise terminal in Angra do Heroísmo.

The director of the Holland America Lines is in charge of the research, development and implementation of cruise stopovers, which Vasco Cordeiro emphasised to stress the commitment of the Azorean Government in the growth of cruise tourism in its ports.

Hence, Vasco Cordeiro, reiterates the Government’s commitment to increase the visibility of the Azores, as a tourist destination among the main international tourism markets, where the Regional Government intends to invest more than 30 million Euros in promotional activities, starting next year until the end the legislative period, thus strengthening the Azorean presence in the one most important economic sectors worldwide.