The Network of Classified Pedestrian Trails of the Azores will now have a team composed by 20 new members, who will be in charge of the coordination and maintenance of the classified pedestrian trails across the archipelago.

Vítor Fraga, who presided over the presentation of this team, stressed that the new members "will be responsible for the monitoring the trails on a regular basis, replacement of identification signs and the basic maintenance of trails. These tasks will be carried out in partnership with several entities, such as the Regional Directorate for Public Works and the Regional Directorate for the Environment, through Island Natural Parks."

"As expected, the relevance of the tourism sector has been growing in the Azores, evidencing an increasingly strategic importance and being one of the driving forces of the Region's economic development," stressed Vítor Fraga.

"Being aware of this growing importance, the Government of the Azores, in cooperation of all parties in the sector, through joint efforts between public and private entities, has been following the path towards the development and promotion of the Azores Destination," stressed the Regional Secretary. The government official considered "the promotion, qualification and improvement of the tourism offer" as "fundamental axes in the creation and consolidation of a tourist destination."

In this regard, Vítor Fraga assured that the Government of the Azores "has focused its attention on these aspects, as clearly evidenced in the proposal for Plan and Budget for 2014."

"The continuous and sustained improvement in the quality of our tourism products is a goal for which we all strive on a daily basis." assured the government official.

Vítor Fraga acknowledged that "pedestrian trails have played a vital role" in the context of the tourism offer provided by the Azores, being "a key product in the regional tourism offer."

For this reason, he emphasised the need of "ensuring a clear and efficient maintenance of pedestrian trails, particularly in the winter months, when weather conditions are unstable, in order to render them passable throughout the year."

According to Vítor Fraga, the 20 new members of the coordination and maintenance team of the Network of Classified Pedestrian Trails will support "this entity to ensure the safety of trails used in the past for the transport of goods and animals, using History to our favour."

The new team members are currently attending a theoretical and practical training course that will provide them with the skills to maintain pedestrian trails, keeping them in the best conditions possible.