The choice of Pedro Pauleta as Tourism Ambassador of the Azores represents “the desire to succeed,” which the Government of the Azores wants to pass on to the sector, stated the Regional Secretary for the Economy, Vasco Cordeiro, on Monday afternoon.
According to the Regional Secretary who spoke during the signature of a protocol with the former Azorean football player, which formalises his status as Tourism Ambassador of the Azores, this is an event that demonstrates the strategy that “is being developed to create necessary conditions for the establishment of tourism as an economic sector of excellence with quality and the ambition to succeed.”
Through this collaboration, Pedro Pauleta will participate in several activities to promote the Region during 2010. These promotional activities will be developed at the Lisbon Tourism Market (BTL) and at the tourism fairs to be held in Madrid and Paris.
For Vasco Cordeiro, this event also demonstrates that the Azorean Government is developing the necessary effort “to overcome the challenges which the tourism sector is facing at the present time.”
The Regional Secretary for the Economy reminded that the present situation which tourism is facing is “common to the majority of destinations,” but he believes that “joint work and the effort of all, the Government and private entities, will overcome these difficulties.
Nonetheless, in order to accomplish this goal, Vasco Cordeiro urged all entities for the need “to fulfil their role because if everyone complies with their obligations we will be able to overcome the current challenges.”
Subsequently, Vasco Cordeiro pointed out the strategy that the Government has been implementing to enhance the external promotion of the Azores among the main tourism markets for the Region. “A campaign to reposition the Azores destination in Sweden, Denmark and Norway started on Sunday,” changing from a contemplative attitude to an attitude that privileges an active contact with Nature,” the Regional Secretary stated, reminding that this campaign is the evidence of a change of strategy, which is no longer associated to a single operator, thus becoming available to all the agents in the sector.
Furthermore, The Regional Secretary for the Economy said that “on the occasion of the Lisbon Tourism Market, a new campaign to disseminate the Azores in Lisbon will be launched this week, which will significantly reinforce our importance as a tourist destination.”