The Ferpinta Group, which manages the Vila Baleira Hotels & Resorts, is expected to open a new hotel in Madeira before the summer.
The information was revealed this morning, although no details have been released regarding the new hotel unit. In a statement, Gonçalo Teixeira, administrator of the Vila Baleira Hotels & Resorts group said:
“We are in the final process of negotiating a new hotel unit in Madeira and we think that, during the next month, we will have news in this regard.” He did, however, indicate that the new hotel is already up and running and that they believe that they will soon close the deal, and if everything goes well the hotel could open this summer.
Furthermore, the Porto Bay Group has also announced the possibility of a new hotel in Madeira within the next two years.
In the ‘get together’ conversation, António Trindade reminded those present at the press conference that the brand’s growth has been guided by the creation of differentiated products that did not compete with each other. “We have seven hotels in Madeira, all different from each other and that is how it has allowed us to grow and go at a pace of occupancy and interesting performances,” he pointed out. This, he maintained, allowed the brand to ‘fly’ to other destinations such as Brazil, Lisbon, and Porto. And when it comes to Madeira, the goal is to continue growing. In fact, within two years the group will have a new hotel in Madeira.
“We have the possibility of opening a new hotel in Madeira in two years, but it was very difficult to know where we were finding the differentiating factor. And I believe that this is not only found in our group”, he said, highlighting the fact that there is a “parallel growth between the hotel reality and the tourist reality” which is the growth of Local Accommodation (AL), which “is generating a great challenge in the hotel industry,” not only in terms of the position of new products but also the requalification of existing ones. Regarding accessibility, namely concerning air connections, Eduardo Jesus considered that they are “essential” to understand and envision the consolidation and growth of the region.
“Accessibility is the critical point. The Regional Secretary for Tourism went on to say:
“This is decisive for us for two reasons: because we have to always have an increase in the number of places available for Madeira so that the operation can work on top of this offer; and, on the other hand, it is good that this offer is as dispersed as possible so as not to depend too much on a few operators, increasing the risk of accessibility. In this sense, this work needs to be reviewed daily, which is why travel fairs are so important. We literally cannot afford to take our eye off the ball.”
Still on the subject of accessibility, Snr. Trindade highlighted the fact that there is a very positive evolution in Madeira’s relationship with the outside, which is embodied in the attitude of the destination. “There is a change in Madeira’s attitude. Up until a few years ago, we were passive and a great evolution has taken place in modes of transport and communication. So much so, we are now the airline, not the passenger!”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
