The deputy to the Assembly of the Republic and President of JS-Madeira, Olavo Câmara, points out that the rejuvenation of the tourism markets is essential for the recovery of the Madeiran economy, but believes there must be a plan B, which safeguards companies, workers and the destination, in case tourism markets do not respond.
Talking to reporters, Olavo Câmara stressed that there are several examples in which tourism levels did not respond as predicted. “We have stated that Madeira is a safe destination and responded well to the pandemic, but these results are not reflected in the economy,” he said, adding that “the announcement of an increase in tourism is not reflected in reservations or overnight stays. By this time, a resumption of traditional markets was expected and the truth is that this has not happened, and we still do not know whether the British, French and German markets will recover as expected.”
“Companies, so far, have supported themselves with support, but when the market starts to function, naturally there will be no need for support, which raises some concerns, in case the market does not make the expected recovery and is unable to support Madeira’s tourism sector. It is necessary to think of post-pandemic scenarios and have answers to hypothetical situations.”
Olavo Câmara also pointed out the question of Madeira airport. “It is urgent that we move forward with the solution of the inoperability of Madeira airport, and the solution is that aircraft are diverted to Porto Santo and then passengers sail to Madeira. He went on to stress that it is necessary to take advantage of European funds to implement this solution, in a way to affirm our destiny. “We cannot be a tourist region in which those who visit us do not know if they can land or leave on the scheduled day and this unpredictability removes our competitiveness from the European market.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
