There are new faces and a new organic, but the goals remain intact. Desidério Silva was re-elected and reinstated as president of the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA) this Tuesday, after 9 months of a mandate that was already known to be "term", due to the imminent publication of a new law for these entities .
Now, the former mayor of Albufeira was elected to stay for five years and with enhanced legitimacy.
Of the new leading team at Turismo do Algarve, the entry of João Fernandes, until now director of the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School, and the departure of Duarte Padinha, a technician at the house, who was Desidério Silva's right-hand man, stand out. in the direction of the then ERTA in the last nine months.
From the previous executive, only the president of the CEAL Carlos Luís association remains.
It should be noted that, with the costumes stipulated by the new law, the direction of the (again) RTA is now composed of three elected elements (plus three alternate members) and two co-opted members: one from AMAL, in this case its president Macário Correia, and a representative from the private sector, who in this term will be Vítor Faria, from the Association of Hotel and Similar Industries of the Algarve. The first meeting of the new management takes place on Friday.
The new design of the Tourism Regions also led to the creation of a Marketing Advisory Board, composed of several representatives from the private sector.
«I want to emphasize here the work done by Duarte Padinha, who was my executive vice-president, a man of the house who will return to his original role. I publicly underscore their commitment and dedication», stressed Desidério Silva, in his inauguration speech.
As for re-election, the reinstated president of the RTA posed the question in a curious way. “Nine months ago I was here with a fever and on term. Today I don't have a fever and I'll stay here for a lot longer,” he said, referring to the two inaugurations as president of this entity.
Time has passed and so have circumstances, but ideas seem to hold. The message conveyed by Desidério Silva was in every way similar to the one transmitted less than a year ago: it is necessary to unite the agents, work in a network and promote the many unique products that the Algarve has and make them known to those who visit the region.
One of the problems that he set out to solve when he was elected for the first time will already be resolved. Today, guaranteed the president of the RTA, "the accounts are consolidated and the charges are all up to date", even though, for that, it was necessary to take out "a loan".
With the house “tidy”, it is easier to look outside, in this case, for a strategy for Algarve Tourism. This, for Desidério Silva, immediately involves «working in partnership and in a network», defending that the Algarve must have «a single strategy and speak with one voice, as a tourist region».
«The time for backyards and small farms is over. It has to be the Algarve as a whole. Those who do not get on the train in this process will hardly catch the carriage further on”, he warned.
One of Desidério Silva's main focuses, since he joined the Algarve Tourism Board, has been the development and structuring of products that complement Sol e Mar. can serve as a differentiating element of the region in relation to competing destinations.
«The Algarve has many products, such as gastronomy, nature, nautical and natural values, but most tourists who come here don't know. We have to know how to show them in the future», he defended, adding that this is one of the ways to fight seasonality. «I don't want to talk about the Algarve only in summer, I want to talk about the region throughout the year», he illustrated.
The General Assembly in which the new board was elected (it was the only list) took place yesterday, at 15 pm, with representatives from 27 of the 33 entities that comprise it. The final result was 25 votes in favour, one abstention and one vote against.
"I won't hit, no!"
Desidério Silva decided not to attack the Government in his swearing-in intervention, but that did not prevent the president of the RTA from sending some messages to Lisbon, through the Secretary of State for Tourism Adolfo Mesquita Nunes, present at the ceremony.
"No, I'm not going to hit!", said Desidério Silva, in a joking tone, addressing the member of the Government, before starting to speak.
In his speech, however, he made it clear that the Algarve wants to have a say in everything that concerns the promotion of the region. In addition, he drew attention to some of the problems that affect tourism that need to be resolved.
"We need fiscal competitiveness, urgent requalification of the EN125 and we want the process of collecting tolls on Via do Infante to be reviewed, particularly with regard to payment and the way it is done," he said.
In response to these requests, Adolfo Mesquita Nunes promised that the new Tourism Regions in the structuring of tourism products. “The role of RTs in this field is fundamental. Never a member of the Government will know and understand the regions better than these entities», he considered.
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