The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated at the Legislative Assembly in Horta the importance of a "comprehensive and holistic" vision of all Azorean tourism products, through a Management Model for Tourism Products and Resources.

Marta Guerreiro stressed that the Regional Government advocates for "a strategic orientation defined and geared to include various uses and products" by defining its "planning, management, implementation, maintenance, financing and monitoring." According to her, she considered necessary "for the joint use of our resources and products in order to value them all, given their huge potential."

"We should not limit our actions to just one product," she stressed, noting that there are "many more that need to be referenced," namely cycling routes, whale watching or canyoning.

"We must define a safe and firm path towards these new challenges", said the Regional Secretary. She spoke Tuesday during the discussion of a proposal for regional legislative decree by the Social Democratic Party on the Legal Scheme for the Protection and Classification of Regional Hiking Trails.

With regard to hiking trails, the Secretary for Tourism stated there is a Monitoring Committee for Hiking Trails, which meets twice a year. At the last meeting, it approved "13 new trails" proposed by "seven different entities."

 "Trails are one of the most appreciated products by those who visit us," Marta Guerreiro said, adding that "their condition is also reflected on the assessment made of those who use them."

"In the last survey carried out by the Tourism Observatory, the trails were evaluated as excellent, scoring 4.6 in of a scale of 1 to 5," stressed the government official.

As for the safety and maintenance of this tourism product, the Regional Secretary assured that they are one of the “main” priorities in the Government's action. Marta Guerreiro also pointed out that "all trails have been inventoried and classified" based on "the characteristics we consider important to help users choosing a certain type of trail, that is, its length, difficulty level, duration or inclination.

 "This is completely different from the principles defended in this proposal, namely the idea that some trails are better than others; we strongly disagree," said Marta Guerreiro. In this regard, she considered that the proposal points to "a wrong way," not being, therefore, "appropriate to what is intended in terms of disseminating the archipelago's trails among tourists."