The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stressed today that the work carried out in positioning the Azores destination can “serve as example for a new reconfiguration” in the tourism sector, ensuring a “green exit” from the current situation.
 
Marta Guerreiro spoke on the webinar "Tourism in the Azores: Paths towards the Future," an initiative promoted by the Faial Sustainable Tourism Association to discuss the regional tourism sector in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the occasion, she noted that “at this point nobody knows how tourism is going to be reconfigured,” but “there will be a place for different tourism, with new development opportunities for exclusive and sustainable destinations,” such as the Azores. 

“I believe in our capacity to promote the Region in this sector,” Marta Guerreiro assured, considering that the Azores will be “able to respond to this crisis,” especially in terms of their certification as a Sustainable Tourist Destination. As she emphasised, this is an asset, but also brings “the great responsibility of positioning ourselves in a very positive way in the context of green exit.” 

"As a Region with increased concerns in this matter, we have an obligation to position ourselves in a reconfiguration of the tourism sector as pioneers, where, in fact, we have been," said the government official. 

"Together, I believe we will be able to find the best answers," stressed the Regional Secretary. 
"We have come this far together, so I am certain that together we will be able to overcome this situation in the best possible way," added Marta Guerreiro. 

As for markets, the Regional Secretary stated that the Azores have been “positioned in a demanding market and willing to pay for differentiating experiences and, accordingly, this is where we have to continue investing.” In this regard, she noted the importance of maintaining a high quality tourism offer, without compromising the price factor, within the proposed phased opening strategy. 

However, according to Marta Guerreiro, “public health issues are decisive at this stage,” so it is important, first of all, to ensure safety with regard to health. In this context, the Regional Government is preparing the recovery phase with a COVID-19 Handbook of Good Practices for the Tourism sector and subsequent provision of training. 

Regarding the support directed to companies, Marta Guerreiro noted that the Azores have adopted “a set of measures,” being “the only Region in the country that, currently, grants non-refundable support to several areas." 

"The Region, together with the working group established for this purpose, has been focusing on the creation of solutions that will relieve the companies' treasury so that they can achieve the ultimate goal of maintaining jobs," stressed the government official. 

"It is not foreseeable to anticipate these cycles. Nevertheless, what we can guarantee, as a Government, is that we will stand by the side of entrepreneurs, we will assess their needs and we will always try, within the reach of our powers, to respond to whatever is necessary," assured the Regional Secretary.  

As this is a situation of international reach, the government official also emphasised the need for a response from the European Union in the form of a "financial envelope," which would benefit the regions that largely depend on tourism.