This Wednesday, Vila Real de Santo António City Council launched a package of investments in new tourist infrastructures worth approximately 200 million euros on the Lisbon Tourism Exchange. The new projects include the construction of six new hotel units, or the urban redevelopment of the seafront in Monte Gordo.
According to the municipality, "the operation represents the largest project ever carried out in the county in terms of tourist and hotel facilities and includes the construction of four hotels, which will provide the county with around 1500 new beds."
“In new accommodation units alone, an investment of 185 million euros is planned, which shows the strong tourism strategy of the municipality and will allow for the creation of dozens of jobs”, highlights Luís Gomes, Mayor of Vila Real de Santo António.
This list includes the renovation project of the centenary Hotel Guadiana, whose works will begin this month and will transform what was one of the first hotels in the Algarve into a charming unit with 31 rooms.
According to the local authority, «also this year, the construction of the hotel in the Sports Complex of Vila Real de Santo António will start. The unit represents an investment of 5 million euros and will have a typology of 4 stars or higher, and the work is expected to start in September 2016. It will respond to the more than 5 thousand sports internships hosted annually by the sports complex, which are already responsible for about 50 thousand overnight stays/year in the county».
Also in the second half of this year, it will advance the construction of three charming hotel units, in the Historic Center of Vila Real de Santo António. These units, located in the heart of the Baixa Pombalina, «combine the recovery of heritage with cultural tourism and will have the configuration of an open-air resort».
The plan presented also includes the construction of a "upscale" hotel center on the beachfront of Monte Gordo.
The Vilarreal Chamber added that “the hotel will have spectacular views over the bay of Monte Gordo and the National Forest of Dunas Litorais and is a response to the consecutive maximum occupancy recorded in the tourist area of Monte Gordo, whose average rates were the highest in the whole of the Algarve during 2015 (top 10 on the Trivago website)».
Already in the old campsite of Monte Gordo a set of tourist units will be created, valued at 120 million euros, and a new tourist development will be built on the seafront in the eastern part of Monte Gordo, valued at 50 million euros.
In parallel, “the largest urban redevelopment operation ever carried out on the seafront of Monte Gordo. The intervention will give rise to the creation of a large maritime promenade that will be endowed with green spaces and leisure, commerce, shops and restaurants», reveals the municipality.
The work, launched by the City Council of VRSA, will start in September 2016 and «aimed at meeting the objectives set out in the Vilamoura Coastal Ordinary Plan (POOC) – VRSA for that coastal area. It will be divided into two phases, and the work is expected to be completed in May 2017».
The total cost of the contract to refurbish the beachfront, which will be added to the construction of the hotel unit, is estimated at 15 million euros.
Beach of Monte Gordo get a new image
The redevelopment of the public space will be joined by the development of the new visual identity of Monte Gordo, whose application will be gradually carried out during the operation of reorganization of the coastal strip. The new image “is inspired by the memories, traditions and natural values of that bathing area and aims to consolidate the touristic brand of Monte Gordo».
Cacela beaches are the new tourist mark in the municipality of VRSA
In addition to the new visual identity of Monte Gordo, the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António presented, at the Lisbon Tourism Exchange, the new brand «Praias de Cacela».
The concept unifies the geographical area of the beaches of Manta Rota, Lota and Cacela Velha/Fábrica, giving a new graphic identity to this unique coastal strip in the municipality of VRSA, located at the beginning of the Ria Formosa Natural Park.
Although each beach preserves its unique identity, the new brand intends to affirm the beaches of Cacela as «a unique, familiar and natural place». These are, according to the Chamber of VRSA, «the attributes that have earned these beaches the title of the best in the world by specialist magazines and are one of the reasons that justify the application of their surrounding area to UNESCO World Heritage».
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