The Algarve "is being harmed by outbreaks of infection in the Lisbon area" and the decision to delete the country from the UK safe destinations list it must be 'repealed as soon as possible'. This is the opinion of Elidérico Viegas, president of the Association of Hotels and Touristic Enterprises of the Algarve.
Heard by Sul Informação, the official said that the decision, known today, July 3, "is profoundly unfair".
«The Algarve almost passed the pandemic and this decision is taken against objective criteria. There are competing destinations that are considered safe, in Spain or Greece, and which, when compared to the Algarve, are kilometers away", considered.
Elidério Viegas even believes that the region is being harmed by the current situation in the Greater Lisbon area, where most of the Covid-19 cases have been registered across the country.
“The impact of this is enormous, not just on companies but on the entire economy of the country. The British represent around 6 million overnight stays a year and almost 50% of passenger traffic at Airport Faro are British. This is a big hole in the region», he said.
The head of AHETA stresses that «there will be British tourists who will continue to come to the Algarve», but «it won't be the same thing».
For Elidérico Viegas, there is no other solution than “the repeal of this measure”.
“Portugal, through its own channels and in the highest spheres of governance, must promote actions and strategies that lead to the repeal of the measure”, he considered.
And is this possible? "What I want is for it to happen as quickly as possible," he concluded.
João Fernandes, president of Turismo do Algarve, has also reacted to Portugal's exclusion from the UK's published list of safe countries to travel, considering it “particularly unfair”.
João Soares, representative of the Portuguese Hotel Association in the Algarve, told our newspaper that this exclusion “is a severe blow to the hotel industry and to all activities that are linked to tourism”.
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