The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated today that rural tourism promotes a more diversified offer, with a daily accommodation capacity of 1,229 beds corresponding to 621 rooms and 172 units.
 
Marta Guerreiro spoke in Santa Cruz da Graciosa at the delivery of the "Miosótis" award to the Rural Tourism project "Mó da Praia."
 
"For the growth of the sector as a whole, but also for the growth of tourists looking for Rural Tourism in Rural as an option to stay in the Azores, we consider that this is a type of tourism that presents a perfect symbiosis between the demand and the offer of an internationally known destination for its certification by nature," stressed the Secretary for Tourism.
 
In the specific case of Graciosa island, the Rural Tourism offer provides 69 beds, corresponding to 35 rooms in 9 units.
 
"Rural Tourism has allowed the rehabilitation of the Region's heritage, which is also part of the experience of our visitors," stressed Marta Guerreiro.
 
"Likewise, visitor demand has been growing in the Azores and last year 620 thousand visitors generated about two million overnight stays in traditional hotels and rural tourism units," added the government official.
 
The island of Graciosa registered about 15,000 overnight stays last year, representing an increase of 26% compared to 2015. It already shows an increase of 12% in the first months of 2017.
 
For the government official, Rural Tourism is the starting point for the series of experiences the Azores have available.
 
"We want our visitors to feel at home, but this house should be typically Azorean, as travelling is to feel ourselves part of a community, through its traditions and experiences," said Marta Guerreiro.