The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated that the "Azores Welcome" programme has reached several sectors, namely tourism activities, catering, hotels and tour guides, with the involvement of tourism professionals on all the islands and municipalities of the archipelago.
 
"This involvement of the whole sector in this project on all islands and municipalities has been preponderant to justify this structured and fundamental action for the future of the activity in the Region. The path followed is based on cooperation and swiftness but, above all, on sustainability and harmony with nature," said Marta Guerreiro. She spoke at the opening of the workshop taking place today in Santa Cruz das Flores, after being held on Corvo earlier this week.
 
According to the Secretary for Tourism, the promotion of "a culture of service based and the art of hospitality in the Azores has been the motto of the efforts undertaken in recent months," being the result of strategy "attentive to new market challenges in times of constant change."
 
Marta Guerreiro also stressed that the programme aims to "provide institutions and professionals in the sector with more and better tools and resources so that can provide truly unforgettable experiences for all those who choose the Azores as a holiday destination."
 
"It is for quality that we work, and we will continue to work", together with all the agents of the sector as the "clearly positive" increase of demand has brought new changes, with the enhancement of the destination's quality being the "main one." As she emphasised, this goal will be achieved through the improvement of services and infrastructures as well as through human resources," stated the government official.
 
"Azores Welcome" is a training programme for human resources working in this sector, which will help consolidating the culture of service and the art of hospitality in the Region. In this context, the "Azores Welcome" Handbook will be prepared to be later disseminated among sector agents as a highly important tool to meet the new requirements and contribute to promotion of the archipelago's reputation.
 
In addition to this programme, Marta Guerreiro pointed out that other actions are being developed regarding the qualification of human resources, stressing the ongoing training developed in partnership with the Hotel and Tourism School and Tourism of Portugal. These training initiatives were prepared under a professional qualification plan providing 1,200 vacancies. It is aimed at professionals working in the tourism sector or other areas of activity who wish to begin a career or are already working in tourism accommodation or catering companies.
 
In her speech, the Regional Secretary also highlighted some statistical data on Flores Island, which has registered an extraordinary growth of 68% in overnight stays between 2015 and 2018. In this regard, she highlighted the dynamics of the Swiss, Spanish, American and Portuguese markets.