Algarve Tourism met this morning with the Associations of Foreign Residents and the Consular Body in the Algarve to identify the current needs of this population, debate the region's future challenges and reaffirm the safety of what is the main destination in Portugal, as a reaction to the impact the Covid-19 outbreak is having in the Algarve.
The meeting follows on from the cooperation work that Turismo do Algarve has been developing since the beginning of the pandemic with different entities, in order to ensure the well-being of everyone, including residents and foreign visitors to the region.
«The Algarve is now multicultural, with a population made up of different nationalities that actively participate in the community and transversally to the most varied areas of collective life. Altogether, about 20% is foreign population, which makes this region unequivocally richer», says the responsible for tourism in the Algarve, João Fernandes.
For the consular representatives in the Algarve present at the meeting – Belgium, Brazil, Finland, Italy, Poland, United Kingdom, Spain and Denmark – the region is a “very safe destination”.
An opinion shared by the presidents of the Association for Foreign Residents and Visitors to Portugal (AFPOP) and Safe Communities Algarve, who were also heard at the working session.
Despite the high perception of safety at the destination, a toll-free hotline should be created for foreign visitors, to clarify frequent doubts in the context of the pandemic, defend the representatives.
They also suggested that information on the hygiene and safety rules to be adopted in Portugal should also be reinforced when tourists arrive in the country (and in the region).
Turismo do Algarve underlines, in a press release, that “it has been committed since the initial phase of the pandemic to mitigate its effects on the resident population, including the foreign community”.
At first, the entity's work focused on gathering information, translating and clarifying the rules to be observed in specific situations of different social and economic activities.
In this context, information was also disclosed on measures to prevent and combat the pandemic, as well as on public and social services in each municipality in the region.
Specifically for the tourism sector, Turismo do Algarve collected information on accommodations that were open to relocate tourists in the region before and during the confinement phase.
At the same time, the quick return home of all tourists who wanted to do so was ensured.
At a later stage, support was provided to foreign entrepreneurs in applying for the Clean&Safe Seal and, in a broader effort, a manual in English was created to help in the formulation of applications for measures to support companies.
«Being aware that the Algarve is a safe destination, given the current situation, is fundamental. For this we need the mobilization of everyone and the different communities to be united. We recognize the important role of foreign residents in the construction of this tourist destination and, naturally, we reinforce the determination to deepen the bonds of affection and coexistence in a region that belongs to all who were born there or chose to live side by side in it», concludes João Fernandes .
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