Vila Real de Santo António has a beach, river, an extensive area of forest, appreciated gastronomy and stay in a flat area. This makes it «a good place to invest», believes Luís Camarada, a businessman who has worked hard and already has several businesses in the municipality where he was born and still lives.
The founder and administrator of the business group “Coração da Cidade”, owner of restaurants, residences and a cake factory in the historic center of Vila Real, considers that the municipality is “a diamond to be cut”, full of potential, particularly for the senior and sports tourism.
To get here, VRSA had to come a long way, as the situation was very different a few decades ago. This is what led the now businessman to emigrate to the United States of America at the age of 17, a country where he lived and worked for over ten years.
At the age of 28, Luís Camarada decided to return and invest what he had been able to gather in businesses in his native land, becoming a successful businessman. And the “guilt” was what VRSA has to offer.
Based on the data provided by Pordata and summarized in the infographic we published above, the Sul Informação asked the entrepreneur and association leader to make a portrait of the municipality where he was born, lived and where he invested.
«Vila Real de Santo António has shown, in recent years, to be one of the most active and dynamic lands in the Algarve. This is due to the fact that it is a place that receives thousands of visitors from Spain, as it is here at the border. It is also a very flat land, which pleases seniors», who choose the county as a place to go on vacation or live part of the year.
“But there are great business opportunities, which are still to be developed. VRSA is an uncut diamond. We have a market right next door in Spain with many millions of people. And, in addition to the Spaniards, there are tourists who visit that country, who take the opportunity to visit Portugal and the Algarve», reinforced Luís Camarada.
And if the council is good for those who visit it, living there is, in Luís Camarada's view, “a privilege”. “We have an above average quality of life. There is the beach, the river and the pine forest, but also the gastronomy and high-quality municipal facilities, such as the library and the swimming pools», he described.
This means that Luís Camarada is not surprised by one of the indicators that stands out among the data provided by Pordata: the number of foreigners living in VRSA.
“This 9,1 percent of the foreign population is due to several factors. This is a great land for the elderly, for its location and for being flat», he said.
These characteristics, together with other factors, also contribute to an increase in the number of visitors.
«We have a very active Sports Complex, which has grown and we receive many athletes. This means that there is economic development and a hotel occupation also in the winter period», he illustrated.
This has allowed the emergence of new hotel units, namely in Monte Gordo. «The construction of the bridge was important for the tourist attraction. The remodeling of the beach, which will start now in October, also means that we are going to have a lot more quality on the seafront», he said.
Luís Camarada makes a point of highlighting two major investments coming from abroad, that of refurbishment of the Hotel Guadiana, carried out by the South African hotel chain Grand Africa, and the construction of a Pousada in the historic center of VRSA, a bet of the Pestana Group, which indicate that «Vila Real de Santo António is in fashion».
However, it's not all roses. There are also issues to be resolved in the municipality, namely at an environmental and social level.
“There is still a large part of the population that lives in inadequate conditions. There are many problems in terms of Basic Sanitation and housing itself», he warned. Even so, he admits, the issue of sanitation has been improving "in recent years". «There has been a clear evolution, but it is still insufficient», he believes.
In terms of tourist growth, «the biggest stain», in this businessman's view, is linked to Via do Infante and its concessionaire.
“There are four huge posters that deceive those who visit us. Because the posters indicate: Foreigners – Electronic Tolls. But they do not warn that there are two exits, that of Castro Marim/VRSA and that of Monte Gordo/Height, where you don't pay. They are making misleading advertising», he defends.
On the other hand, he considered, the associative movement does not make life easier. And Luís Camarada, as founder and member of the governing bodies of the Confraria do Atum – he is the number 1 confrere –, knows very well what he is talking about.
«The Confraria do Atum lives only from the participation of its confreres and it is extremely difficult to carry out activities. But, even so, we have been achieving», he said.
And this is not the only association facing difficulties, a situation that could be alleviated with some investment in this sector.
«The auditorium of Glória Futebol Clube has been completely inactive for years and there is no one who takes the initiative to rehabilitate it and put it at the service of the population. The building should be handed over to various associations, to develop their activities there and be able to promote cultural and sporting activities», he defended.
NOTE: : O Sul Informação publishes here the last of a series of 16 articles called “X-Ray of the Municipalities”, dedicated to each of the 16 Algarve municipalities.
The infographics, developed by our multimedia journalist Nuno Costa, use statistical data from Pordata.
The people chosen to comment on the data in each of the municipalities are not, as much as possible, linked to political parties and reside, have businesses, work or were born in the municipalities concerned.
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