The 365Algarve program may be reissued and once again support cultural events and tourist entertainment in the low season for tourism in the Algarve region, a possibility that will be defended in Lisbon by Ana Abrunhosa, promised yesterday the Minister of Territorial Cohesion during the official inauguration of the Smuggling Festival, which can be visited until tomorrow, March 26th, in Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana, in Spain.
The commitment to fight for the return of the cultural and tourist entertainment programme, which over the years allowed the birth and start to assert itself as highly mobilizing events in the interior of the Algarve, was made a few meters from the pedestrian floating bridge, one of the symbols of the alcoutenejo festival, but also of the success of 365Algarve, which has not been held since 2019/20.
«I made the commitment here to help 365Algarve return to this region, to support tourism in these inland territories», he told the Sul Informação Ana Abrunhosa, after having said so during her speech at the opening of the festival.
«365Algarve is a project that can be resumed. I know the sensitivity of both Mr. Secretary of State for Tourism, or of the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of the Algarve, in relation to this topic», reinforced the minister.
This promise brought a broad smile to the face of Osvaldo Gonçalves, mayor of Alcoutim, who had already warned that, without support, the Festival do Contrabando, with the model with which it became well known and with the floating bridge that attracts dozens thousands of people to Alcoutim and Sanlúcar for three days, it would not be possible to carry out.
“Of course, that was good news. The return of 365Algarve is crucial, because if we don't manage to get support like the ones we had in the past, we're going to have a lot of difficulty keeping the Contrabando Festival going, at least with the magnitude we want it to have», summed up the Mayor of Alcoutenejo , in statements to Sul Informação.
«I, at the time, thought it was a betrayal that they did to us, cutting off support from 365Algarve. But I trust in this commitment and in the sensitivity shown by Ms. minister», revealed Osvaldo Gonçalves.
«It is my ambition, and I hope that it is still possible, that the approval of these supports take effect already in relation to the current edition of the Festival do Contrabando», he concluded.
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