Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 11th August 2021

Turismo do Algarve launches campaign to attract “last minute” tourists

Turismo do Algarve does not give up on the summer and launches a new promotional video to attract last minute tourists.

Turismo do Algarve remains committed to attracting international tourists this summer and, accordingly, has just launched a new campaign to promote the destination. With an exclusively digital presence, this action is based on a video that seeks to inspire and attract last minute visitors to the region throughout the months of August, September and October.

Under the motto “Welcome back”, the new campaign invites tourists to return to the Algarve and rediscover all that the destination has to offer.

The video begins with the voice of an air traffic controller from the Faro Airport control tower authorizing the landing in the region, while at the same time seeing a unique scenario for a stay that is expected to be promising.

On land, the huge diversity of experiences that it is possible to live in the Algarve, with family or friends, is revealed, with emphasis on the practice of outdoor sports, such as cycling, hiking, golf or water sports, for the beauty of the natural landscapes, and also for the good moments that can be experienced in the company of the authentic flavours of the region.

Bacteria transmitted by leafhopper detected in Sintra and Algarve

The bacterium affects a large number of species of ornamental plants and also species of crops such as the olive, almond, vine or fig tree.

The bacterium ‘Xylella fastidiosa’ was detected in rosemary plants in the regions of Massamá and Monte Abraão, Sintra, and Luz de Tavira and Santo Estêvão, in the Algarve, announced the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Medicine (DGAV).

Under the National Action Plan for the Control of ‘Xylella Fastidiosa’ and the official prospecting work, “a positive result for this bacterium was obtained in a sample taken from a batch of rosemary plants in a nursery” in the Luz de Tavira regions and Santo Estevão, while the subspecies of the bacterium remains to be determined, indicated, in a statement, the DGAV.

In total, 122 samples were collected, which are being analysed at the National Institute of Agricultural and Veterinary Research.

A demarcated area has also been established, in which “intensive sampling of other plants susceptible to the bacteria is being carried out, as well as the investigation of vector insects”.

In a later note, the DGAV announced that positive results were obtained “in a bed of rosemary plants existing in a public space in an urban area” in Sintra, with 44 samples being taken.

According to the same document, the phytosanitary inspection services are implementing measures to ascertain the origin of the infections and proceed with their eradication.

At issue is a bacterium transmitted by the insect ‘Philaenus spumarius’ (commonly known as leafhopper), which feeds on the xylem of plants and whose cycle begins in spring.

The bacterium affects a large number of species of ornamental plants and also species of crops such as the olive, almond, vine or fig tree.

On January 18, 2019, Portugal officially informed the European Commission of the presence of the bacterium ‘Xylella fastidiosa’ in lavender plants in the garden of a ‘zoo’ in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, as told to Lusa, at the time, a community source.

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