The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport, Vítor Fraga, stated that with the new air transport model, the Azores will enter into a "new phase" in the tourism sector, which should be reinforced by a strong investment in the quality of several aspects concerning this important sector in the Region.

"Today, we can say that we are entering a new phase in the tourism sector. A new phase that is founded on the path we have followed and it will not be by chance that, in addition to the announcement on the operation of domestic routes, today comes the announcement of the operation of a route to one of our main domestic markets," said the Regional Secretary. The government official spoke during a press conference held in Ponta Delgada by airline Ryanair.

"The interest of different airlines clearly demonstrates the attractiveness of our destination, which is evidenced today by the announcement that Ryanair has just made regarding the operation of domestic routes with flight connections to Mainland Portugal as well as the operation of a new route between Ponta Delgada and London; the latter is one of our main tourism markets," stressed Vítor Fraga.

The Regional Secretary underlined that, despite the importance of the announcement made by the Irish airliner, we should be "well aware" that the construction and development of the Azores as a tourist destination is not limited to its accessibility model, whose change was one of the main priorities of the Regional Government for this legislative period.

"To be sure, at this level we will be on equal footing with dozens of tourist destinations with which we compete on a daily basis," said the government official.

"This is an important step, but there is much more work to do, particularly in terms of the qualification and development of our tourism offer, the upgrading of our hotel units by aligning them with the qualification of our human resources, and the development of new products adapted to new market segments, to which we will have access from now onwards."

Vítor Fraga also highlighted the importance of developing a promotion policy based on the communication with the target market. In this regard, the focus on an online platform is crucial as well as on the media; the latter being a privileged means of contact with tourists.

"Basically, our main challenge is to fully use our ability to attract new tour operators and airlines that invest and believe in the Azores; however, it is important to show all of our differentiating aspects so that potential tourists, while deciding their holiday destination, can choose the Azores," revealed the Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport.
 
The Regional Secretary also called entrepreneurs and potential investors in the Region to take advantage of the new accessibility model, using their creativity and initiative in this new phase. In addition, the government official assured them that the Government of the Azores will be their partner so that they may jointly overcome the challenges arising over the years.

"This is another step towards the development of a sector that we will be to ensure its sustainability, generate wealth, preserve jobs and maintain them.

Moreover, Vítor Fraga stressed the importance of accessibility for a region such as the archipelago of the Azores. In this regard, the government official reminded that aim was to look for an accessibility model that would meet the needs of the Azorean people, assuring balanced fares and a fair and equal price for all, while enabling the expansion of the regional tourism sector by opening the market to new operators and the subsequent introduction of competitive factors, particularly with regard to prices and service quality."

Ryanair conveyed its intention to operate two daily flights on the route Ponta Delgada - Lisbon, a daily connection on the route Ponta Delgada - Porto and a weekly connection between Ponta Delgada and London.