«The Algarve has contributed a lot to the growth in the number of major international sporting events and today we saw the numbers of this growth here at Vilamoura Marina. This means that we are on the right path», said João Paulo Correia, Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, this Wednesday, the 10th, during his visit to the Vilamoura Sailing International Sailing Centre.
This project has placed Portugal at the epicenter of major international sailing events and brings hundreds of sailors to Vilamoura every winter.
56 countries, 3 athletes, more than 000 companions, close to 4 overnight stays. All in 000/200. These were the numbers that the Secretary of State heard, when he visited the Center, as part of the commemorations of the International Youth Day, which is celebrated annually on 000 August.
The numbers gain special impact when accompanied by live images. In the Boat Park of Vilamoura Marina, João Paulo Correia had the opportunity to watch the arrival of 450 sailors from all over the world, who, at this time, are preparing for the world championships of the Laser/Ilca class (Ilca 4 and Ilca U21) starting in Vilamoura, on the 13th of August.
"I didn't know the numbers but they are surprising numbers", admitted the minister.
In full preparation for that World Cup, which will be the biggest of its kind ever held, the visit to Vilamoura Sailing was the perfect mirror for the strategy that the Secretary of State presented with regard to the alliance between Sport and Tourism.
«The Government created a working group to attract major international sporting events. In the coming months, Sports and Tourism entities and representatives of the municipalities and sports modalities will all together help to put together a strategy for the attraction of these great competitions, in the horizon from 2022 to 2025. One of the main objectives of this strategy is precisely to combat the seasonality", he revealed.
The atmosphere around João Paulo Correia, in the heart of Vilamoura Marina, was proof that the strategy could only succeed.
Vilamoura became the property of almost every Olympic sailing team in the world and it is here that at least three world-class competitions are held every year.
«The challenge, at the beginning of this Vilamoura Sailing project, was to combat seasonality. In this biennium 2021/2022, we reached 200 thousand overnight stays in low season. Undoubtedly, Vilamoura Sailing already has an obvious impact on this fight and the official entities feel that”, said Nuno Reis, director of the Centre.
According to the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, this is the year in which Portugal registers the largest number of international sporting events, reaching four hundred, which contributes to the country being increasingly a destination for national teams, clubs and athletes. Worldwide.
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