The AHP - Associação da Hotelaria de Portugal has said that it “has received confirmation of the intention to initiate a reinforcement of vaccination in the Algarve region, accelerating the rate of those vaccinated”.

In the statement, the entity said that “following the proposal submitted to the coordination of the ‘Task Force’ of the Vaccination Plan against Covid-19 with the request for priority vaccination of the population of the Algarve,” the association received “confirmation of the intention to start strengthening vaccination in the Algarve region, accelerating the rate of the vaccinated population.”

In the statement, AHP also said that the aim of its proposal, “presented on 13 May, is to ensure a rapid resumption of tourism activity and maintenance of businesses and jobs in a region highly dependent on tourism activity”.

“It is with great expectation that we receive the recognition of our proposal to speed up the vaccination of residents and tourism professionals in the Algarve region, the main national tourist destination” stressed Raul Martins, president of AHP.
“It is even more relevant at a time when it is already possible to make tourist trips from some markets, including the British, which is vital for tourism in the Algarve”, he said.

“We are at a crucial stage for tourism, with the opening of air space to some destinations and with summer approaching, and it is important to transmit confidence both to the Portuguese population and to those who visit us. With the reinforcement of vaccination in the Algarve region, we will certainly ensure a greater competitiveness of the destination”, said Raul Martins.

“The AHP believes that the Algarve region, the main national tourist destination whose economy largely depends on the activity, should have priority in the vaccination plan for Covid-19,” said the association in a statement that day, adding that the “proposal is not limited to tourism professionals, but to the entire population”.

The AHP believes that the Algarve region needs a rapid resumption of tourism activity, on which its economy heavily depends, in order to ensure the maintenance of businesses and jobs, and for that reason has submitted to the ‘task force’ of the vaccination plan against Covid-19 the proposal for priority vaccination for the inhabitants and workers of the area.

The association recalled that the Algarve is responsible for around 33 percent of overnight stays by foreigners in Portugal, with overall revenues of over 1.2 billion Euros (data from the National Statistics Institute for 2019).

AHP also recalled that “according to Eurostat data released in April, the Algarve was the Portuguese region with the highest unemployment rate in 2020, reaching 8.4 percent, followed by Madeira and the Lisbon Metropolitan Area”, thus making the resumption of tourism especially important to avoid unemployment.