The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated on São Jorge Island that the regional tourism sector "is already one of the main driving forces of economic development. It generates wealth and employment that increasingly reach more families who have benefited from the dynamics of this activity."
 
"We are growing more in revenue than in overnight stays, reaching 95 million Euros in terms of overall revenue in traditional hospitality in 2018," said Marta Guerreiro, who spoke Thursday at the opening of the 1st Regional Meeting of Azores Tourism.
 
The Secretary for Tourism pointed out that the data are even more encouraging if we also take into account Local Accommodation figures. In fact, if we "consider the total overnight stays registered by Local Accommodation, albeit relatively low average rates, we can reach an estimated revenue of 15 million Euros in 2018, this being a source of direct income for Azorean families."
 
Marta Guerreiro stressed that this type of accommodation "has generated dynamics not only in cities and towns, but also in more rural villages and areas distant from the large tourism centres. This is evidenced by the creation of employment as well as by the direct and indirect economic impact on other traders, namely local small traders.
 
"The democratisation of tourism and territorial dispersion are immensely important," the government official said, considering that these data "represent actual benefits for people."
 
According to the Regional Secretary, the tourism sector already accounted for 12% of employed population in 2017, registering six thousand workers in hospitality, catering and similar sectors. This figure "already evidences the significant weight of tourism as a dynamic economic activity.
 
"Considering the number of workers in other tourism-related activities, such as outdoor companies, rent-a-cars, commerce and local accommodation, this impact will certainly be much higher," added the government official.
 
In her speech, the Regional Secretary highlighted the "very favourable evolution of the seasonality rate" in Traditional Hospitality. Between 2013 and 2018, this sector managed to "reduce the impact of overnight stays registered from June to September by eight percentage points, evidencing the efforts to gradually boost the profitability of hotels during the low season."
 
The 1st Regional Meeting of Azores Tourism is being attended by 150 participants and takes place until Saturday in Velas, São Jorge Island.
 
"A cooperative effort and the hearing of partners are also the motto of this meeting, which also aims to foster direct contact and bring to debate the issues we are currently facing as challenges of our growth," said Marta Guerreiro.
 
In this regard, she highlighted that meeting's main theme is precisely "Qualification - Challenge for Sustainability of the Azores Tourism." As she noted, its "programme addresses all our strategic priorities, ranging from the sustainability of the destination, the qualification and promotion of the sector and the mitigation of seasonality to the creation of incentives, external promotion and the debate on questions such as "Tourism in the Azores - 9 islands or 1 destination?"
 
This meeting "will not just provide answers. It will probably raise even more questions about the role of each entity, each company and each person, so that resignation will not overshadow what we have already accomplished with the desire to do more and better," stressed Marta Guerreiro.
 
On the occasion, the Regional Secretary took the opportunity to thank entrepreneurs "for believing in this sector, for taking the name of the Azores further and for being closer to all those who choose us as a holiday destination."