The Azores Situation Report Wednesday 31^st May 2023

Azores with vast tourist potential of underwater heritage

The Azores have 35 sites that are suitable for observing the archaeological heritage and about a thousand shipwrecks documented in documents, but the researchers admit that more reserves for observation may be created in the future.

“There are 100 sites registered in the archaeological map, following research work carried out by archaeologists, of which 35 meet conditions for visits. However, this does not mean that reserves will not be created in the future that meet the conditions to be spaces for visitation”, said archaeologist Pedro Parreira.

Pedro Parreira, technical coordinator of the ‘Margullar 2’ project, spoke to journalists, as part of the presentation of the second version of the initiative around ​​underwater cultural heritage, which aims to create a new tourism product, based on the potential of underwater archaeology in Macaronesia.

According to the archaeologist, the first version of the project, by the European Commission, made it possible to create a route that currently has 35 sites that can be visited.

“The objective of this second project is to bring this heritage to land. That is, to bring data and information, democratizing access to it, because not everyone has the possibility to dive” not being able to access the “submerged history”, explained Pedro Parreira .

The regional directorate for Cultural Affairs has a partnership with international specialists, within the scope of the development of this project, which will allow, in this second phase, the creation of an “exhaustive” database for all documented shipwrecks, according to Pedro Parreira .

The ‘Margullar 2’ project was started in 2020, but it only started to run in 2021.

It is a project focused on the tourism-culture binomial, aimed at stimulating the local economy and developing research and safeguarding the archaeological heritage of the Azorean seas, according to the Regional Secretariat for Education and Cultural Affairs.

In this context, a manual of good practices for safeguarding that heritage has already been prepared and the first centre for knowledge and awareness of the underwater heritage of the Azores has already been launched at Banco das Artes, in the city of Horta, on the island of Faial.

And “soon”, two more will be launched, one in São Jorge and another in Pico, added the regional secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs, Sofia Ribeiro.

“The project has entered a phase where these centres interpreting these wrecks are being created on land, allowing access to this underwater value, for those who do not dive”, he underlined, in statements to journalists.

For the future, it is also planned to have three new Underwater Archaeological Parks, off Pico, Graciosa and Faial.

In the specific case of the island of São Miguel, the project made it possible to create a cycle of documentaries about its Underwater Archaeological Park, off the coast of Ponta Delgada, in addition to including four new points of interest in the itinerary of places to visit.

In 2021, the regional directorate for Cultural Affairs created an Underwater Reserve, next to the islet of Rosto de Cão, in São Miguel, which brought new dynamic products to the local community of maritime-tourism operators.

The regional secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure, Berta Cabral, highlighted the importance of the project in question for the diversification of tourist activities, which allows reaching new audiences and leaving added value in the Region, where tourism has been “a spring” economy booster.

Santa Clara finishes last and with worst score ever.

Santa Clara finished the Portuguese Football League in last place, with 22 points, the worst score ever for the club, the culmination of a troubled season with changes in administration and technical command.

The Azorean team is thus relegated to the II Liga, after five consecutive seasons in the first division, ending the championship with 22 defeats, seven draws and five victories.

The best record was reached between days 10 and 13 with four games without losing (two draws and two defeats), before the stoppage of the I Liga for the World Cup.

The Azoreans went 17 games without a win, between matchdays 14 and 31.

The team’s top scorers in the league were Brazilians Matheus Babi and Gabriel Silva, both with five goals scored, in a season in which goalkeeper Gabriel Batista was also highlighted in the island emblem.

The punctual ‘score’ of the 2022/23 season is below the other two times that Santa Clara relegated from division, since in 1999/00 it reached 31 points (18th and last place) and in 2002/03 it reached 35 (finishing in 17th position).

Since returning to the top echelon of national football, Santa Clara had always managed to stay in the top 10: 10th in 2018/19, ninth in 2019/20, sixth in 2020/21 and seventh in 2021/22.

The Azoreans started the season with coach Mário Silva, who left the island emblem in January, on matchday 15.

Santa Clara was coached by Jorge Simão, who lasted only seven games, in which he scored two points, the result of two draws, with Boavista and Portimonense.

As a result of Simão’s departure, the Brazilian Danildo Accioly, a member of the technical team since 2019/20, was announced as interim coach, but ended up guiding the Azorean team until the end of the season.

On July 14, 2022, with the pre-season already underway and as in 2021, changes were announced at the Azorean SAD, which came to be owned by businessman and former vice-president of Cruzeiro do Brasil Bruno Vicintin, who replaced Ismail Uzun in the leadership of the public limited company, a position he had held since August 2021.

Changes followed in Santa Clara’s sports policy, which was now led by executive director Klauss Câmara.