The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 10 August 2022

by Mike Evans

Good morning and we start this report with an update on the latest news that shows Tourist occupancy levels in the Algarve have successfully returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, demonstrating a full recovery in the market.The occupancy per quarter of tourist resorts in the Algarve was, in July, 87.7%, 4.3 percentage points more than the value reached in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Algarve surpassed, in July, the numbers of 2019, the best tourist year ever. Thus, the sector continues to recover, after two terrible years, due to the pandemic”, highlighted the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA).

With more tourists it does present other issues which we have to face up to, namely the lack of Water. Whilst not just related to the Algarve a report just published shows that in the last 20 years, only six rain seasons were considered normal, in relation to the period 1970-2000, indicates the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), which warns of longer and more comprehensive droughts. The whole of the mainland is currently in a drought situation and we all can play our part in keeping the water running for everyone.

More news from the Algarve this past week.

The Sardinha Festival , in Portimão, broke the attendance record with 110 thousand entries between the 3rd and 7th of August, in the riverside area, announced the municipality .With a daily average of over 20,000 people in the riverside area, the most popular night of the event was on August 7, with David Carreira performing for over 30,000 people.

In all, more than three tons of roasted sardines were consumed, in addition to another ton of this fish that was served free of charge following the recreation of the traditional canasta unloading, which took place on 2 August.

This year, the venue had new living and leisure spaces that were more “Instagrammable” and shared experiences, such as the lounge space and places inspired by sardines.

Sardine Festival food scraps turned into fertiliser The leftover food from the Sardine Festival ,will be transformed into 100% natural fertiliser, announced the Municipal Water and Waste Company of that locality.

On the festival grounds is the space dedicated to the dissemination of the project, which was visited by the Secretary of State for the Sea and Fisheries, Teresa Coelho, in addition to hundreds of visitors.

Those who passed by had the opportunity to learn about the process of collecting food scraps, check if it was in the pilot area and, in case of a positive answer, lift their seven-liter bucket.

This project aims to “raise awareness of the importance of reducing environmental impacts, with emphasis on the collection of food scraps, which will be diverted from the landfill and transformed into natural fertiliser”, according to the statement. The operation covers 13,836 accommodation units, equivalent to 19,353 inhabitants (35 percent of the population) and started with restaurants, schools, institutions and the residential population, through the activation of 144 proximity containers.

Carob Thefts on the rise, The GNR seized a total of 434 kilos of carob and identified eight people for theft of that dried fruit, in Silves and São Bartolomeu de Messines .

In a statement, the GNR said that the seizure took place in two different situations, the first of which took place on Friday, August 5, in Silves, following a complaint about a carob theft.

The military “moved quickly” to the site, where they identified four people, two men aged 17 and 55 and two women aged 15 and 56, having seized 257 kilos of carob, harvested without authorization from the landowner.

The second situation occurred on Saturday, August 6, in São Bartolomeu de Messines, during an inspection of a vehicle, which the GNR found to have “a large amount of carob” inside.

As the suspects were unable to justify their origin, the military seized 177 kilos of carob and identified the four people who were in the vehicle: three men aged 19, 30 and 46 and a 43-year-old woman. In both situations, the GNR seized the suspects’ vehicles.

Earlier in the week about 15 thousand kilos of carob was seized in Altura. The seizure was carried out by the Faro Territorial Command, through the Castro Marim Territorial Post, following a complaint “that reported a large amount of carob on land in the parish of Altura”.

“The Guard’s soldiers went to the place where they found that a man had stored around 15,000 kilos of carob beans, worth an estimated 28,000 euros”, says the GNR. The suspect “was unable to justify its origin and the context of its harvest”, and the carob was seized “as a precautionary measure”.

The 44-year-old man was identified and the facts were referred to the Vila Real de Santo António Judi

Body of man found off Arrifana beach- On Sunday afternoon, August 7, the Maritime Police collected the body of a man found floating off Arrifana beach , in the municipality of Aljezur , without knowing the causes for the occurrence, informed the National Maritime Authority.

“This afternoon the body of a man was detected, floating about two nautical miles (approximately four kilometres) from Arrifana beach, in the municipality of Aljezur, the causes that may have been at the origin of this occurrence are not known. ”, the maritime authority said in a statement.

Following the alert received at about 16:45, through the crew of a recreational boat, for the presence of a body floating in the water, “the crew of the Sagres Lifeguard Station and elements of the local command of the Maritime Police of Lagos”, explained the note.

“Elements of the Maritime Police and the crew of the Lifeguard Station recovered and transported the victim’s body to the port of Arrifana”, where “the local health delegate awaited, who declared death on the spot”, added the maritime authority.

After contacting the Public Ministry, the body was later transported by the Volunteer Firefighters of Aljezur to the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Portimão.

The Chamber launched a campaign against animal abandonment This month, the Municipality of Olhão launched a new awareness campaign against the abandonment of pets during holidays, the municipality announced .

“In fact, animal abandonment occurs throughout the year, and not just in the summer, but it is during this period that there is a higher incidence. It seemed to us that it was the ideal time to convey the message that abandoning our animals is never the solution and is, moreover, punishable by law”, says the councillor responsible for Animal Welfare, Ricardo Calé.

With appeals such as “don’t abandon those who have always been by your side”, or “adopting a life is for life”, the municipality intends to raise awareness while trying to face the growing increase in animals arriving, either at the municipal kennel, or under the protection of the council’s associations.

Ricardo Calé recalls that “we have been developing in recent months, on several fronts, and in close collaboration with the associations of the municipality, a work in favour of animal welfare, where we seek to counteract the main factors that contribute to the increase in animals. in the shelters”.

In addition to the campaign that has just been launched, the mayor recalls the launch of the construction of the new Official Animal Collection Centre, a work that has been going on for over 20 years.

Regarding sterilisation, a protocol was recently signed between the municipalities of Olhão and Tavira, which aims to share logistical and human resources, in order to enhance the conditions for the mass sterilisation of animals.

The Municipal Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of the Elderly of Faro, which aims to represent the population of those over 65 years old, was approved at a meeting of the Municipal Assembly. In a statement, the municipality said that the body will have “consultative functions, of appreciation and analysis of problems, as well as of presenting proposals that can compete to guarantee information, defence of rights, security, dignity, quality of life and well-being”. of seniors in the county”.

Cited in the statement, the mayor, Rogério Bacalhau, says that the creation of the commission, which will operate at the Chamber’s premises, “will allow the municipality to be a pioneer in terms of public policies in the area of ​​ageing”.

According to the mayor, “the signs of problematic cases are now centralised in a single entity, in order to improve the perception of the realities in terms of the needs of the elderly population of the municipality”.

The new commission “holds responsibility” on the municipality for this segment of the population, also leading it to “assume a position of influence with the central power, enabling changes in public and legislative policies that can positively contribute to strengthening the rights of the elderly. in a vulnerable situation”.

The Municipal Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of the Elderly of Faro will assume itself “as the entity that will guarantee the specific referral related to the problems of alleged abuse, neglect and dementia conditions for the elderly”.

Among the objectives of the new body is the monitoring of cases reported by the Support Office for the Elderly (GAI) of the municipality, the signalling of situations of alleged risk to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the awareness of the general community regarding the rights of the elderly and the promotion of initiatives aimed at their social inclusion.

An email address will be created for anyone who wants to get in touch with the commission, and interested parties may also address the Department of Social Development and Education to present situations that fall within this scope.

All processes and contacts will be confidential, namely the identity of whoever reports a case, concludes the municipality.

That is the end of this report, we hope you have a safe and enjoyable week ahead.