André Gomes, who has worked in the tourism sector for the last 10 years and in the RTA for the last five, told Barlavento that he did not intend to run for the Algarve Tourist Board, but had a change of heart.

"Being a candidate was not in my plans. But faced with this situation, which ended up being a surprise for everyone, of the current president not being able to run again, it was in view of this impossibility that I began to receive contacts from the sector saying that, eventually, I could be a good solution to continue the work that has been developed, having made a useful contribution, I believe, to the results that Algarve tourism has had in recent years".

His candidacy has already been criticised by the PSD, in a statement signed by Cristóvão Norte, which recalls that he is the "son of Isilda Gomes, Mayor of Portimão, and husband of Ana Varges Gomes, President of the Board of Directors of the University Hospital Centre".

In his candidacy, André Gomes said that he will "continue to focus on the diversification and valorisation of our tourism offer, continuing to increase our promotion at an international level, strengthening our tourism infrastructures, especially in transport and mobility".

André Gomes will also "continue to promote a more environmentally responsible and sustainable tourism industry. A very important point is to continue promoting long-stay tourism, such as health and wellness tourism, to continue combating seasonality. We will continue to invest in improving our services, in training our professionals".

In addition, he wants to continue "strengthening partnerships. I think there is work to be done to bring some members of our General Assembly closer together. We will continue to invest in innovation, in terms of our services and the activities of our players. I will risk setting a date for the presentation of the candidacy: 15 May. I want it to be in the RTA auditorium, in Faro."