The Vice-President of the Government said in Praia da Vitória that handicrafts are an important activity in the Region, both economically and culturally.
 
This sector needs to be revitalised with new ideas, without sacrificing what is most genuine in this activity.

Sérgio Ávila spoke on Sunday at the opening of facilities of the craft cooperative "Terceira Arte", an initiative promoted by the Santa Cruz Village Council with the support of Praia da Vitória City Hall and the Regional Government.

Mentioning the cooperative's intention of seeking innovation in handicrafts, Sérgio Ávila underlined that the market is open to new products as "the needs of people change over time."

"We have to adapt what we do to reality," the government official stressed, adding that one cannot change "the genuineness of what we do," but we can create the conditions to attract buyers.

The Vice-President of the Government also called the attention for the importance of publicity and marketing to optimise the work of artisans, reminding the existence of support systems that can be used for this purpose.
 
Sérgio Ávila also stressed that handicrafts have the potential for creating employment as well as for assuring the sustainability of jobs in this sector, as there are other equally important areas for the development of the Region. This strategy is "based on the enhancement of our potentialities" combined with effective marketing skills.