The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport stated in Angra do Heroísmo that the exuberance of the Azores, combined with the quality of the productions of SP Televisão and SIC television channel, "are a successful formula" in promoting the Azores as a tourist destination of excellence.

Vítor Fraga spoke at the presentation of the new television series "Coração d’Ouro," produced by  SP Televisão and set to premiere on SIC next Monday. The government official mentioned the change in "the standard in terms of the decisions people take when choosing their holiday destinations or in terms of purchase." Currently, "many of these tasks are done at home, with access to new technologies."

Pointing out the example of the current soap opera aired on SIC, which reaches an audience of about a million and a half viewers, the Regional Secretary stressed that the option of the Azores Tourism in joining this new production "falls within the strategy towards a direct and permanent communication with tourists." In fact, it is "not only based on the excellence and exuberance of our natural heritage, our architectural heritage and our cultural heritage, but also, and above all, on the activities that can be developed in these scenarios of excellence."

For Vítor Fraga, the beauty and cultural richness of Angra do Heroísmo, the "Algar do Carvão" (Coal Cave) and Praia da Vitória bay on Terceira, the protected landscape of Pico Vineyards and the grandeur of the Mountain, the Marina of Horta and the Capelinhos Volcano on Faial, or the extreme beauty of the "Fajãs" of São Jorge "will make a magnificent scenery and will clearly highlight these paradise islands."

The investment of the Regional Government and the Azores Tourism in the production of this soap opera in the Region "falls within the development strategy for the tourism sector in the Region," stressed Vítor Fraga, recalling that this "is a young sector; it was born a decade and a half ago."

The Regional Secretary for Tourism stressed that "the Azores have been the region with the best performance in the tourism sector since November 2014, with a growth over 20%."
In his speech, the government official recalled that the "biggest reform ever seen in terms of accessibility to the Region" was recently implemented. The government official added that "the results and the impact of this reform are already evident, with a reduction in the cost of accessibility, i.e., travelling to the Azores costs a third of what tourists paid seven or eight months ago."

This new reality, warned Vítor Fraga, creates "new challenges both in terms of supply and demand."

 "As for supply, we have to be more demanding in a perspective of improving the quality of what we have to offer our visitors. But, on the side of demand, we are required to adopt new strategies and, in this context, we will establish this partnership to communicate with our target market," said the Regional Secretary.