The Algarve Report Wednesday 23rd October 2024
by Mike Evans
A very good afternoon to you all. As someone who spent the whole of his working life in the travel and tourism industry, and along with many others made the decision to relocate to the Algarve after experiencing the area on a holiday or two it comes as no surprise that the sustainability of the industry for the region is at the top of the agenda so that the benefits of this area can continue to provide many people with a livelihood but by maintaining the beauty of the place.
This week the, president of Turismo de Portugal, Carlos Abade, who was participating in the seminar “The Impact of Tourism on Trade and Development of Cities”, in Vila Real de Santo António cited the idea that Human resources, sustainability and technology are key aspects to be incorporated into the Tourism Strategy 2035 so that the sector can grow and create wealth for the economy,Carlos Abade participated in the seminar “The Impact of Tourism on Commerce and Development of Cities”, promoted by the Algarve Region Commerce and Services Association ( ACRAL ), in Vila Real de Santo António , and highlighted the importance that these three items will have for the future of a tourism sector that, in 2023, represented 20% of national exports and generated revenues of around 25,000 million euros. “And this is the result of work that has been done by many, mainly by companies”, according to Abade, considering that the value that has been generated “for the tourism sector, but above all for Portugal and for other sectors of activity as well” is “quite significant”.
Carlos Abade highlighted that, at this moment, the reality “is different” from that which existed in 2017, when Strategy 2027 was prepared, and tourism is currently facing “dimensions that are clearly more challenging” for its future development. “We have the issue of human resources, on the one hand the issue of attracting talent and on the other hand the issue of training, qualification and valuing tourism professionals”, he pointed out, stressing that this is “an important tool in improving people’s quality of life and promoting their well-being”.Carlos Abade stressed that the wealth generated by tourism activity “does not only benefit the tourism sector and “benefits practically all economic activities”, because it involves a set of other activities that also benefit from tourism. For all of us who live amongst this beautiful region we hope that the need to be sustainable does not get lost in the future chasing more and more people.
This brings me onto one of the issues we are all facing,the lack of water! The contract for the design, construction and operation of the future desalination plant in the Algarve, which should be built by the end of 2026, was signed this Tuesday, the 22nd, in Albufeira in the presence of the Prime Minister. The contract award, which represents an investment of around 108 million euros, is part of the Algarve Regional Water Efficiency Plan, framed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).
The project to build a desalination plant in the municipality of Albufeira is one of the measures in response to the drought affecting the southernmost region of mainland Portugal, as part of a package of measures launched by the previous Government. The infrastructure will have an initial capacity of 16 million cubic metres (m3), but the company is designing it to have the capacity to treat up to three times more than that volume, that is, up to 24 million m3 of water.
Now a look at some of the other stories from across the region.
Albufeira Institutions Promote Water Preservation Among Students
More than a dozen institutions in Albufeira will join forces to promote sustainability and water preservation, through a series of educational, cultural, sporting and citizenship activities , aimed at 425 1st cycle students in the Parish of Ferreiras , tomorrow, between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm.
The event of the educational project “O Arco Íris” will feature a diverse program, where children will be the protagonists. Throughout the afternoon, artistic pieces will be created live by students of the Art Club of the Agrupamento de Escolas de Ferreiras, with surprise moments that will reinforce the community spirit.
“Several collective sports, such as volleyball, football and basketball, will reinforce the value of teamwork”, highlights the Albufeira Activa Association, in a press release.
The presence of the Albufeira Volunteer Firefighters’ marching band will provide a special moment, allowing children to have a unique interaction with the Fire Department.
“The initiative will be a celebration of education, culture, sport, citizenship and sustainability, providing children with an inspiring afternoon full of learning”, reinforces the organisation.
In this way, “’O Arco da Íris’ is a commitment to the education of our children and the future of our community. We believe that, by involving schools, associations and families, we are building a more conscious and supportive Albufeira”, says Ricardo Xufre, president of the Albufeira Activa Association.
Search for Missing Fisherman Called off in Aljezur
The search for the fisherman who has been missing since Saturday, the 19th, in Aljezur, was interrupted at sunset without results, the National Maritime Authority ( AMN ) reported today.
The 25-year-old man allegedly fell into the sea while recreational fishing on Saturday afternoon at Bordeira beach in Aljezur. After a day and a half of searching by sea, land and air, the work “was interrupted late this afternoon without the victim being found”, AMN reported in a statement.
The work throughout the day, coordinated by the captain of the Port of Lagos , was carried out with a device made up of crew members from the Sagres lifeguard station, by sea, while on land, elements from the port captaincy and the local command of the Lagos Maritime Police, the “SeaWatch” project and the Aljezur Volunteer Firefighters, supported by a drone, travelled along the coast, indicated AMN.
“A Portuguese Air Force aircraft was also taking part in the search,” he added. Work will resume on Monday morning, the National Maritime Authority said, highlighting that the Maritime Police’s psychology office has been providing support to the missing man’s family.
The search had been restarted this Sunday at 7:30 am, by sea, land and air, with an air force vehicle, with the perimeter having been “adjusted, given the period of time that has elapsed” since the alert was given about the fisherman falling into the sea, on Saturday, at 2:40 pm.
“Friends of the victim who are at the scene will be included in the search on land,” the port captain said at the same time. The alert was received on Saturday, through the Lisbon Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC Lisboa).
Algarve Algae Removal to be Completed Next Week in Portimao
The mayor of Portimão has estimated that the work to remove the “several tons of algae” that has accumulated on Praia da Rocha for two weeks could be completed by the beginning of next week. “It is a time-consuming job that started on Monday and is being done with heavy machinery. Given the large amount of algae, we expect the removal to last for a week”, Álvaro Bila told Lusa agency.
The high concentration of algae on the beaches of Rocha and Vau, in the municipality of Portimão, in the district of Faro, has been occurring for two weeks, a phenomenon that “began to have greater visibility” last week with the spring tides, said the mayor.
“Although the accumulated quantity of these organisms is very significant, there was no need to close the bathing areas, unlike what happened last month, with the closure, for two days, of Barranco das Canas beach”, he stressed.
In total, said the mayor, “120 trucks loaded with algae were removed from Alemão beach, which represents several tons of the marine organisms.”
Since 2021, large concentrations of brown and red algae have been recurrent on beaches in the western (western) Algarve. The accumulation of these invasive species has led municipal and regional entities to classify this as “an already normal situation”, according to the mayor of that municipality in the district of Faro.
“Given the recurrence of the phenomenon, since 2021 we have launched an annual procedure worth €50,000 to clean the beaches, as the municipality does not have heavy machinery for this type of service”, explained Álvaro Bila. According to the mayor, the cleaning of the beaches only began on Monday “because there was an expectation that the sea would take back the algae”.
“As this did not happen, we had to move on to cleaning with heavy machinery, carried out by a private company”, noted the mayor, stressing that, so far, no contamination of the water caused by algae has been detected.
The phenomenon is monitored by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), which analyses the quality of bathing waters daily.
25-year-old Arrested by GNR in Albufeira for Robbery
The National Republican Guard (GNR) arrested a 25-year-old man this Saturday for the crime of robbery, in the municipality of Albufeira. After a complaint, the GNR managed to locate and detain the individual, having recovered the stolen items.
Following a report of robbery involving violence in a nightlife area of the city of Albufeira, “the Guard’s military personnel immediately carried out investigations that allowed the individual to be located and detained”, explains the GNR in a statement.
During the police investigations, it was possible to verify that the suspect was still in possession of stolen material and narcotics, with the National Republican Guard having seized a mobile phone, 15 doses of hashish and 30 euros in cash.
The detainee was brought before the Portimão Judicial Court for the application of coercive measures.