The details "are still to be refined", but it is already certain that, from 2019, Loulé will apply a tourist tax of 1 euro for each overnight stay. The aim is to create a fund for environmental and tourist sustainability and use the money either to replenish the beaches on the county's coastline or to deal with «damages resulting from fires or floods».
The guarantee of the progress of this measure was given by Vítor Aleixo, mayor of Loulé, this Friday, November 24, at the seminar "Adapt.Local.17 - Local Adaptation to Climate Change", taking place in Vilamoura.
"The municipality of Loulé has about 2,5 million overnight stays and this will be a source of income that does not weigh on each one of the tourists, but it can be decisive for us to face the extreme climatic manifestations", said Vítor Aleixo, interviewed by Sul Informação.
As for the beaches of the council's coast, "we already know that they need to be periodically refilled," said the mayor. With regard to floods, even in November 2015, Quarteira experienced a situation like this.
Questions such as whether the fee will be applied to the arrival of tourists in the county or on departure are still to be resolved. “There are details that will be studied throughout 2018”, explained Vítor Aleixo.
The decision to proceed with this measure was "considered, but, taking into account the purpose for which it is intended", the mayor of Loulé has the expectation that "it will be well accepted by tourism and hotel businessmen".
This fund for environmental and tourism sustainability will also be fed «through a variable share in the balance carried over from the management account of the Chamber of the previous year», said Vítor Aleixo.
In the opinion of the mayor, "denying the evidence that the climate is changing is increasingly difficult", so mayors have "an important role" in tackling the issue of climate change.
A similar opinion has José Paulino, from the Portuguese Environment Agency, who, together with Vítor Aleixo, participated in the opening session of the seminar “Adapt.Local.17 – Local Adaptation to Climate Change”. "No municipality is immune to climate change," he said.
The seminar, which takes place in Vilamoura until 17:30 pm, brings together national and international experts in adaptation to climate change who are discussing these issues and participating in workshops.
This Network of Municipalities for Local Adaptation to Climate Change (Adapt.Local) already brings together «about 30 Portuguese municipalities». Vítor Aleixo is the president of the Coordinating Council of the Network of Municipalities for Local Adaptation to Climate Change.
One of the latest additions to the network is Lagos, who entered this Thursday. In Alentejo, Odemira is one of the municipalities that are also part of the initiative.
The objective of this project is “to increase the capacity of municipalities to incorporate adaptation to climate change in their policies, instruments and interventions, by facilitating the exchange of experiences between institutions, technicians and specialists and the capacity building of local authorities”.
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