The Regional Director for Tourism stressed the importance of holding international sports events in the Azores as they promote the archipelago as an active and adventure destination, pointing out the example of the Azores Windsurf Open Foil Challenge that was held on Terceira.
 
Cíntia Martins noted that this event was an opportunity to effectively promote what the Azores have to offer, "not only in the component of sports and active nature and adventure tourism but also as tourist destination for all."
 
"Events such as this one, which bring together international participants, confirm the projection that the archipelago and, in this particular case, the Praia da Vitória Bay have been conquering among windsurf enthusiasts," said the government official.
 
The Regional Director stressed that the Azores are sought after for "the excellence of their conditions for the practice of this sport." The holding of this competition in the archipelago "reinforces the international projection of the Region," turning it into a "place of choice for the practice of wave sports worldwide."
 
"Given their significant media coverage, size and geographic scope, these events promote the best of our tourism resources and tour tourism products. They reach market niches that are important for us as they have the potential to generate tourism flows throughout the year," said the government official.
 
Cíntia Martins congratulated the Praia da Vitória Nautical Club, the entity in charge of organising the event. On the occasion, she also offered a word of recognition to all participants, who came from Mainland Portugal and countries like Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Poland and New Zealand.
 
"It is always an honour to welcome top names from the world's windsurf elite in the Azores," said the Regional Director.