"(...) Regarding fuel, specifically jet fuel, everything indicates that it will not be a problem for Portugal. With the data we have today, tourism [from abroad] will not be a problem because of the effect of jet fuel," declared Castro Almeida, in Porto de Mós.

The Minister was speaking to journalists after the presentation of the new campaign promoted by Turismo de Portugal and aimed at domestic tourism, "Don't look further afield. Find your country," created following the impacts caused by bad weather at the beginning of the year in several regions that face an increased need for economic revitalisation.

Fuel prices

When questioned about the possibility of there being no shortage of fuel for the planes that transport thousands of tourists to Portugal, but the price of fuel weighing heavily on the pockets of the Portuguese, given the successive increases, and whether this could be a problem for domestic tourism, to which this campaign is directed, the Minister replied that "people will take the holidays they can afford."

"Our appeal is simply that, when considering holiday destinations for those who can take holidays, they do not forget domestic tourism and this region in particular, for those who can take holidays for as long as they can, of course," he said.

Earlier, he stressed that "there was a serious problem in the centre of the country, in the Leiria Region, in the territories near Leiria, and the country is very supportive," and that this is a reality "people should not forget."

"When making choices, we appeal to the country to remember that it is supportive and that this region needs it more than others," Castro Almeida reiterated.

The Minister acknowledged that tourism “is also, at this moment, a concrete instrument for recovery” and, with the launch of the campaign, “more than promoting destinations,” an “economic and social response” is being activated.

Moderate growth

The official said that this year, the growth of this sector “has been more moderate, reflecting the international context and the effects of the weather.”

“We are talking about more moderate growth, but we are talking about growth despite everything,” he declared, to emphasise that “tourism continues to demonstrate its solidity and capacity to generate value.”

Tourism revenues

In this sense, he observed that, according to the Bank of Portugal, in the first quarter of this year, “tourism revenues exceeded €5.1 billion, which represents growth of about 3.8% compared to the same period of the previous year.”

“These are figures that confirm that, even in a more demanding context, tourism continues to assert itself as one of the main drivers of the Portuguese economy,” he considered.

There are not too many tourists in Portugal

On the other hand, Castro Almeida rejected the idea that the country has too many tourists.

“Some say that Portugal has too many tourists. But this perception does not correspond to the reality of the country as a whole. It is true that at certain times of year in some specific locations there is greater pressure. But this does not happen all year round, nor does it happen throughout the entire territory,” he observed, acknowledging the need “to better distribute the flows, in space and time, and to value the territories more.”

Therefore, “domestic tourism assumes strategic importance,” as it “contributes to stabilizing the activity throughout the year,” directly supports the national business fabric, and “ensures that the wealth generated by tourism reaches all territories.”