The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport highlighted the increase in revenue in the traditional hotel accommodation as an evidence of the current situation of tourism in the Azores.
 
"If we look at what is truly important in terms of revenue, the money injected into the regional economy grew 64.6% in 2016 compared to 2012 and this only concerns traditional hotel accommodation," said Vítor Fraga. The government official added that "about 15 million Euros" entered directly into the archipelago's economy in the first seven months of this year.
 
Regarding the number of overnight stays in this type of accommodation, there was an increase of 25.1% between January and July 2016 compared with the same period of time. However, according Vítor Fraga, "this growth stands at 62% in comparison with the first seven months of 2012, the year when this term began."
 
The Secretary for Tourism spoke Sunday at the opening of Canyoning International Meeting in Azores (CIMA), stressing that the Government of the Azores believes that "tourism should benefit all islands and should be good for those who live on each island." He also pointed out the example of Flores, where the number of passengers landed on this island grew 11% in the first eight months of the year, representing "1,935 more passengers over the same period of time." It grew 27% over the same period of 2012, i.e., 4,222 more passengers landed on the island of Flores."
 
With regard to rural tourism, and given the figures registered in the first half of this year, there was an increase of 53% in overnight stays on the island of Flores compared to 2015, which is "more than the double of the average growth in the Region," said the Regional Secretary.
 
"If it is true that these figures reflect the momentum in the tourism sector, they should neither dazzle us nor be regarded as a finishing line," noted the government official. He added that "it is a starting point to win new challenges regarding the increase of tourism flows as well as the improvement of the tourism offer, which includes the qualification of human resources."
 
Vítor Fraga pointed out that tourism in the Azores "is experiencing a period of great dynamism, being the result of a joint work of public and private entities as evidenced by the event we are opening here."
 
Speaking at the opening of CIMA, the Regional Secretary mentioned the work carried out in the last four years in this sector, pointing out the repositioning the Azores Destination in the main markets. The strategy was intended to "promote it as an active nature destination, far beyond its contemplative component, consolidate and strengthen the presence of the Azores in these markets, choose the USA and Canada as strategic markets and improve communication with potential tourists. Moreover, the government official also alluded to the most important reform ever undertaken in terms of accessibility and mobility for all Azores and those visiting the archipelago.
 
"We have consolidated tourism products such as pedestrian trails, through the development of grand routes, including one on Flores, surfing, windsurfing and diving. We have also developed new products, namely canyoning or mountain biking, which seize the potential of our natural features for the development of activities that generate value to our tourism offer," said the government official. According to him, the aim is to "seize the potential of the best that each island has to offer by improving the tourism offer and increasing tourism flows, which is clearly reflected on the main indicators of the tourism industry."
 
In this regard, he announced "with great pride that the Azores are part of the world map of canyoning map, having excellent locations for the practice of the activity. This has led the International Association of Amateur Canyoning (IAAC) to join CIMA with the "Rendez-vous International of Canyon," thus contributing to the external projection of the Azores Destination as a place of excellence for the practice of this activity. "
 
"The number of participants also demonstrates" the relevance of this activity, Vítor Fraga stressed, adding that the 215 participants, including 55 from Portugal and 160 from 15 countries, represent "a record number of participants, which clearly shows the success of this initiative.”