The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport stated today that it is important to remember that tourism figures "should not overshadow our work," emphasising that statistics are an important tool for "those who work in the industry" insofar as it helps them guiding the work and making decisions.
 
Speaking at the opening of the rural tourism project "Pátio Lodge" in Cedros, Vítor Fraga pointed out that we have registered a growth of 62% in the Rural Tourism sector in just three years, i.e., in the first government led by Vasco Cordeiro.
 
According to the Azores Regional Statistics Service, the Secretary for Tourism added that "the projection of this growth in the first two months of 2016 is about 150%."
 
However, Vítor Fraga stressed that "we cannot be dazzled by the results achieved so far, because what matters, above all, is the future."
 
"Statistics and good results should rather serve as an incentive to proceed with restlessness and nonconformity as well as with the permanent desire to do more and better so that we may have the ability to make things happen," said the government official.
 
In this regard, Vítor Fraga pointed out that the Regional Government launched the Strategic and Marketing Plan of the Azores Tourism (PEMTA), who considered it to be "the most comprehensive plan ever in terms of preparation."
 
"We heard the population, policy makers and agents working with the industry directly and indirectly. Now, we have a guiding document for the next years, until 2020, which must be followed by everyone," said the government official.
 
"It is not the Government's document, it is the document of all, whether public or private entities", said Vítor Fraga.
 
The Regional Secretary added that, with the document in the implementation phase, it is necessary to bear in mind the four major goals of PEMTA.
 
"Firstly, improve and enrich the quality of the tourist experience of those who visit us; secondly, contribute to the preservation and conservation of natural and cultural areas of the Region; thirdly, contribute to the economic development of the Region; fourthly, improve the performance of tourism activities, i.e., enhance the profitability of all companies working in the sector," said the government official.
 
Vítor Fraga also stressed that Rural Tourism, which is in line with the provisions of PEMTA "is much more than an accommodation unit." He added that this type of tourism "should include activities, because only then we will have the conditions to provide unique experiences to those who visit us. This is the result of a clear identification of what is our natural, built and cultural heritage. "
 
In this context, the Regional Secretary stressed that Rural Tourism "is indeed one of the main nature tourism by-products that has a direct impact on the local economy, even in micro-economies. It has the potential to promote a direct contact between those who visit us with local companies in villages and with the rural environment, providing a stimulus to the development of the economy in a sustainable way. "
 
For the Regional Secretary, sustainability "is something we should always bear in mind not only from an economic perspective, but also from an environmental and social perspective."
 
"The Azores tourism is only good if it is good for those who live here and this is what we must realise.  The development of this sector has clear goals: on the one hand, generate wealth and make the economy stronger and, on the other hand, preserve and create jobs," stressed Vítor Fraga.