“Being an industry that represents 20% of the [gross] domestic product, being an industry that is transversal and the fastest growing, from my point of view it is a disservice to be done to the country if we do not combat these urban myths” , said Pedro Machado.

The government official was speaking at the seventh and final session of the conference cycle “Tourism Strategy 2035: building the tourism of the future”, as part of the process of building the Tourism Strategy 2035, which succeeds the Tourism Strategy 2027.

This strategic reference for tourism in Portugal and the record numbers of overnight stays in recent years “have to be an opportunity for us to break some urban myths” linked to the sector, maintained the Secretary of State, who specifically addressed three themes.

The first urban myth, he said, “is that there is a lot of tourism”. “It is part of a certain caviar elite to say that there is too much tourism in Portugal, because it is uncomfortable in some places. No, there is not too much tourism and we need to continue growing”, he said.

The second urban myth, he continued, “is associating tourism with low qualifications and low wages”, or “with people who don’t know how to do anything else”.

The State Secretary of Tourism recalled that, currently, more than 54% [of people] who work in the tourism sector have secondary or higher education qualifications and that, while the country's economy has grown in the last six years between 2% and 2 .3%, “average salaries grew above 5%”.

The third urban myth, indicated the government official, “is that of the threat of migrants arriving in Portugal in a country that does not have the objective capacity to respond to this growth with its own workers”.

“Portugal does not have enough Portuguese people who can serve the tourism industry today”, highlighted Pedro Machado.

The Secretary of State maintained that it is necessary to “put an end to this myth that foreigners who arrive in Portugal come to put the jobs of Portuguese people here at risk”.

Pedro Machado also expressed himself as being “satisfied and proud” with the 19 awards awarded to Portugal in the 31st edition of the World Travel Awards, the so-called “Oscars” of tourism, in a ceremony held on Sunday, in Funchal.

“Portugal is in a frankly positive moment. This positive moment results from the excellence of its companies, its entrepreneurs and, I am sure, the international recognition of the service we provide”.