It is "almost certain that [tourism] will resume in 2022", but only "in 2023 will we be close to the situation in 2019". The words of hope are from Raul Martins, president of the Hotel Association of Portugal (AHP), at the presentation of the 32nd National Congress of Hotel and Tourism, which took place this Wednesday, the 21st, in Albufeira.
The congress' motto, which by the way was suggested by the president of the AHP, has everything to do with these optimistic perspectives: «Tourism has a future».
“It is time to look ahead, look at tourism for the future, because tourism has a future!” he said.
The choice of Albufeira, which «is in fact the tourism capital of Portugal», as Raul Martins pointed out, also marks «the return of the Congress to the Algarve. It was written that we would return here».
As Cristina Siza Vieira, Executive Vice President of AHP explained, this motto «is a statement, an assertion, has no question mark following it. It's the position of the entire industry, because we're all deserts for being able to travel again».
But while these optimistic perspectives do not materialize, it is necessary to live with the current reality and look to the future, which is the objective of the three days of the Congress, which will take place at the NAU Salgados Palace, from 11 to 13 November.
José Carlos Rolo, Mayor of Albufeirense, began by pointing out that his municipality concentrates «about 40% of the accommodation capacity in the Algarve», totaling «150 tourist facilities», representing «between 2 and 3% of the national tourist capacity». Therefore, he defended, it is “all logic to have this Congress here”.
The fact of being promoted in November also makes perfect sense for the mayor. «November is a month of low season, which has to be minimized, with other types of events, sports, nature tourism, but also taking advantage of the installed capacity to take place here, large events, large congresses. This is a good example of what the minimization of seasonality can be”.
“Right now, the situation is bad, even bad. But we have to have hope for the future and that we will start again from what was 2019, which was extraordinarily good in tourism», added the mayor of Albufeira.
For the president of AHP, it is now «time to analyze the lessons learned, but above all to point out ways that put tourism at the forefront of the national economy». “This is the opportunity to look ahead, learn from what happened and put Tourism at the forefront of recovery. This is what we expect from this Congress, which opens the doors of the future and positions us, despite the adversities, in the global world in which we live. That's also why we chose the Algarve, the largest tourist region and the most open to the world, and one of the biggest tourist centers in the country, Albufeira. Times are and will be difficult, we know that the future is unknown, but that it starts now».
João Fernandes, president of the Algarve Tourism Region, considered that the «chosen motto could not be happier: tourism has a future…and it has a future because it has a past».
«In this difficult moment, many take the opportunity to question a sector that took us out of the last crisis and that will take us out of it. I have nothing against it, but everything in favor of other sectors having the greatest possible glow," he added. Paraphrasing what Vítor Neto, president of NERA and former secretary of State for Tourism, who was also present at the session, said: "we do not want tourism to decline, but for other sectors to grow."
For this official, «Tourism will be, once again, the vanguard, whether in terms of sustainability or issues of digital transition».
As for the holding of the Congress in November, the president of RTA, stresses that it is “a contribution that AHP makes to the region, even more because it happens right after MotoGP”, which also takes place in the Algarve that month.
In total, according to Cristina Siza Vieira, the Congress should bring together around 500 congressmen from all over the country. There may be "some participants from neighboring markets, but it is clearly aimed at national congressmen facing the international world."
The program is not yet closed, but will include, as usual, international experts among the speakers.
The Congress will be chaired by Raul Martins, president of AHP. The Organizing Committee will consist of Cristina Siza Vieira, Executive Vice President of AHP, Rodrigo Machaz, CEO of Memmo Hotels, Frederico Costa, Administrator of Pestana Pousadas, Helena Ferreira, Managing Partner of UNIK Management & Investments, Bernardo Trindade, Administrator of the Group PortoBay, Bernardo D'Eça Leal, Founder of The Independente Collective, and João Soares, General Director of Dom José Beach Hotel and AHP representative in the Algarve.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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