The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport was distinguished by Turisever Magazine for their dedication and contribution to the development of tourism in Portugal, stressing that it is the recognition of the joint work between public and private entities developed in recent years.
 
"More than the individual recognition of his work, it is rather the recognition of all the work carried out together with public and private entities over the past year with the aim of consolidating and developing the tourism sector in the Region," said Vítor Fraga.
 
The Secretary for Tourism spoke Monday in Lisbon on the sidelines of the ceremony that marked the 30th anniversary of Turisver, during which he received the distinction from the magazine's director, José Luís Elias.
 
"We have worked towards the repositioning of the destination with the major tourism markets and we have made the most important reform ever in terms of accessibility, which is, of course, reflected on the good performance of the sector," said the Regional Secretary.
 
In this regard, the government official stressed that "the first half of 2016 is best half in the history of the Azores tourism, exceeding 700 thousand overnight stays, more precisely 788 thousand overnight stays, if we take into consideration all types of accommodation. This represents an increase of 195,013 overnight stays compared to the first half of 2015, which had been the best half ever, corresponding to a growth over 32%.
 
For Vítor Fraga, these data reflect, "above all, the consolidation path of the tourism sector towards its sustainability, not only from an economic standpoint, for all parties involved in the sector, but also from a social standpoint, contributing to the improvement of living conditions in the Azores. Moreover, it is also beneficial from an environmental perspective, through the preservation of all places that make the Region a land of unique beauty and the promotion of their use in a responsible manner. This allows locals and visitors to enjoy these places.