Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 19th August 2020

Covid 19 Situation

The Directorate-General for Health (DGS) today pointed out the existence of 1007 cases of covid-19 in the Algarve, 11 more than yesterday, and totalling 17 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic

Marcelo: Portugal on the UK’s safe list makes a “brutal difference” for the Algarve

It is “great news” that makes “a brutal difference” in the economy – and the general panorama – of the Algarve. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Portimão commented about the inclusion of Portugal in the list of safe destinations in the United Kingdom.

He stated “It is great news. Great news for the mayors here in the Algarve for many others from other parts of the country but first of all for the 300,000 Portuguese who live and work in the United Kingdom. It is also good news for the almost 50 thousand Britons who live and like to live in Portugal and also for all those who wanted to move from one country to another”.

João Fernandes: Algarve must “make the most» air corridor to the United Kingdom”

The inclusion of Portugal in the United Kingdom’s list of safe countries to travel was deserved “for some time” and will open a window of opportunity that the Algarve region “should make the most of”, according to João Fernandes, president of Turismo do Algarve. The British Government’s decision, announced yesterday by the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Transport, comes at a time when “we still have four months to go”, until winter arrives.

“We have September and October still with good weather for bathing, but above all, we have new motivations for visiting, which find their peak season in this period, namely golf, which is one of the main reasons for visiting the region”, he said.

It should also be borne in mind that “September will be marked by the realization of the Portugal Masters”, in golf, and in October there are Formula 1 and Moto GP events in Portimão.

“At this moment, we start for four months of the year when we still have opportunities. We have to guarantee that we have exhausted its potential”, added a satisfied João Fernandes. This was, moreover, “a news that we had hoped for and which we had deserved for some time”. “There is a feeling here that, finally, the security that exists in Portugal is recognized, specifically here in the Algarve, the main tourist destination of the British», he illustrated.

Turismo do Algarve wants tourists to visit the region outside the usual “high season” period.

Turismo do Algarve is intensifying the creation of partnerships with some of the main European airlines that fly to the region, with the aim of reinforcing the effort to promote the destination and to attract the interest of new visitors until the end of this year. British Airways, Eurowings, Ryanair, Easyjet, AirFrance and Edelweiss are some of the companies that are already collaborating in the creation of joint marketing campaigns, to enhance reservations for stays in the region even during 2020.

Based on a multiplatform dissemination strategy, which integrates and combines digital and printed channels carefully selected in some of the main markets (such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland), these actions aim to promote the Algarve as a safe destination and place highlighted the diversity of experiences that the region has to offer.

According to João Fernandes, president of Turismo do Algarve, “with these campaigns we want to encourage last minute reservations, a trend that, given the current context, has been growing significantly”.

João Fernandes adds that “many people cancelled or postponed the holidays they had already scheduled because of the pandemic and it is mainly these tourists that we want to arrive, showing them that they are still in time to schedule these holidays in a destination that is fully prepared for the receive, with security, quality and flexibility. In addition to the diversity and richness of the region’s offer, the mild climate that the Algarve has throughout the year is another of our strong arguments, which we hope to capitalize on at this time and which we believe will be an important stimulus for travellers to book your holidays outside the traditional periods of high season”.

Aljezur: GNR detects 122 infractions in action to inspect illegal camping

On Thursday the GNR carried out several inspection actions to combat illegal caravanning and wild camping, within the scope of the “Safe Summer 2020” operation, in the municipality of Aljezur, with a special focus on the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina Natural Park.

According to a statement by that security force, of the inspection actions, “122 records were prepared, of which 97 were for offence resulting from wild camping as well as motorhome and illegal parking in prohibited places and 25 for non-compliance with the traffic sign regulation”.

The action that was carried out with the reinforcement of the Coastal Control Detachment (DCC) of Sines and in collaboration with the Regional Directorate for Nature Conservation and Forests of the Algarve, aimed to “mitigate wild camping activities and illegal caravanning”.