«We have to keep Albufeira open all year». This was the appeal that the president of the Albufeirense Chamber left today to businessmen in his municipality, during the presentation of the strong program for the New Year.
Carlos Silva e Sousa defended that, for any promotion of Albufeira outside the bathing season to be successful, it is necessary that «both before or after New Year's Eve, there is an offer in terms of restaurants, bars and entertainment».
"Either you choose to close and stay only for the summer, or we don't conform, because we have a lot to offer – good weather, good cuisine, cultural offer – outside the bathing season," insisted the mayor.
"But the Chamber does not do this alone", it has to be an "effort shared by all", he stressed.
José Lourenço dos Santos, president of the Albufeira Promotion Agency, which brings together a large number of businessmen in the municipality, responded to the challenge, saying that «the increase in flights to Albufeira Airport Faro, in the low season, leads us to listen carefully to the appeal that the President made».
"We also have to make an effort to have another dynamic in the low season, because people cannot come to Albufeira and find it deserted", he admitted.
Desidério Silva, former president of the Albufeirense Chamber and now responsible for the Algarve's Tourism Region, also hit the same key: «we can't give up on the issue of seasonality. It is not possible for people to come to Albufeira, which represents 44% of tourism in the region, and then have nowhere to sleep, where to eat, where to have a drink».
The president of RTA, referring to the excellent tourist year that the Algarve is experiencing, defended that it is necessary to «invest now, to reap later» and left a word of thanks to the Airport of Faro, whose director, incidentally, was present at the session: «the Airport is working with us like it has never worked before». Now, it is in the hands of businessmen, in Albufeira and throughout the region, to take advantage of the new flights and the 100 new plane seats created this year.
But what brought together on the terrace of the Hotel Baltum, one of the oldest in the Algarve, located in downtown Albufeira, a short distance from Pescadores beach, was the presentation of the end-of-year program.
And what poster will then be presented before, during, and after New Year's Eve? On December 29, the kick-off for more than a week of entertainment is given with the beginning of the event «Paderne Medieval», in this village in the interior of the municipality.
On the 29th and 30th, and also on the 1st and 2nd of January, there will be another Solrir festival.
But the strong dish is reserved for the night of December 31st, starting at dawn on the first day of 2017. The festivities include the already usual Star Parade in Oura, a kind of festive end-of-the-year Carnival.
On stage at Praia dos Pescadores, there will be lots of good Portuguese music: Áurea, before the midnight fireworks, DAMA after.
As for the fireworks, which will be launched in Albufeira and Oura, president Carlos Silva e Sousa announced that this year he will have "a little more investment".
And, said the mayor, "because we are already having some slack in financial terms, there will be an increase in the Christmas lighting", to give a "cheerful and more cheerful air" to the main streets of the city and county.
In total, this end-of-year program will cost «100 thousand euros», being supported in almost equal parts between the Municipality of Albufeira and the municipality's Promotion Agency, in other words, the businessmen.
In this regard, José Lourenço dos Santos stressed that "APAL tries to sensitize businesspeople to gather the financial means to promote not only this end-of-year program, but other aspects throughout the year." The director of APAL recalled the effort that is being made to «promote Albufeira internally and even internationally», recalling the recent presence at an important fair in France.
"We have to take advantage of favorable winds", concluded the entrepreneur.
New Year's Eve in Albufeira:
December 29th>>Medieval priest
December 29/30 and January 1/2>>Solrir Festival
December 31th>>Star Parade in Oura
December 31th>>Aurea (22h30)>>Firework (24h00)>>LADY (24h00)
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues|Sul Informação
Comments