The regional secretariats of Social Solidarity and Energy, Environment and Tourism are promoting the pilot project ‘Azores for All’, an initiative that, in this first phase, takes place in the islands of São Miguel and Terceira.
The Azores Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism has announced the launch of an energy efficiency campaign for tourism accomodation units.
Inglês The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated that “the main asset” in a sector such as tourism is “the people”, so it is important to focus on training and valuing the careers associated with it. Marta Guerreiro stated the importance of entrepreneurs being “by our side”, giving as an example the award, by Bensaude Turismo, for the best student of Tourism degree in 2019 from the University of the Azores. Marta Guerreiro spoke in Ponta Delgada, in the award presentation to the student Natacha Pinto, in the context of the event “Azores: towards sustainability” “These awards represent the awareness our entrepreneurs of the current challenges of tourism, valuing those who will be future professionals in the sector” she said. According to the Secretary, “one of our main challenges today has to do with the qualification of the destination, as it be services and infrastructures, but especially with human resources”, where “continuous training and updating are indispensable”, beyond the focus on initial training”. “We can only speak of good growth if tourism continues to play an increasingly important role in the region’s economy, not only in terms of output but also in terms of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities”, she added. At the time, the Regional Secretary presented an evolution of the sector numbers, with Azores being, since 2015, “one of the regions of the country that has recorded the highest growth in total overnight stays and traditional hotel revenues, successively breaking records never before reached.” In addition to statistics, Marta Guerreiro noted the various awards and distinctions awarded to the Region that attest the sustainable development of the archipelago, highlighting the steps of the certification process of the Azores as a sustainable destination. “This certification will also ensure a reinforcement of the international strategic positioning and notoriety of the Azores tourist destination, aligning it with a growing international awareness of consumers, already well visible in the new generations and their ability to influence others”, she said. Regarding the profile of the tourist visiting the Azores, Marta Guerreiro focused on “the significant growth of tourist flows of new generations, aligned with the current tourist positioning of the Azores”, seeking products of active nature, tranquility, relaxation, high level of sustainability, appreciation of cultural immersion and preference for nature accommodation.
The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism pointed out today the importance of the Annual Congress of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, which will take place at Angra do Heroísmo Cultural and Congress Center, on Terceira Island, from 4-7 December. Marta Guerreiro called for the participation of the sector’s agents, pointing out that “this is a very important moment for tourism in the Azores because it is one of the biggest international events on sustainable development”. “We want it to be a moment of sharing, debate and reflection, not only on this issue at international level, but especially at regional level, taking into account the ongoing process of certification of the Azores as a Sustainable Tourist Destination”, she stated. According to the Secretary “about 150 participants are expected” at a congress that she considered to be a “unique opportunity to project the Azores into the international sustainability scene, reinforcing the internal recognition of the potential that the Region can have as a sustainable tourist destination”. Under the theme ‘Navigating the Way Forward in Sustainable Tourism’, the congress will focus on areas such as ‘Smart & Sustainable Destination Management’, ‘Market Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Products’ and ‘Is Tourism Responding to Climate Change?’. “We believe this will probably be one of the best GSTC congresses, bringing together a number of speakers from around the world who stand out for their relevance to their positions,” said Marta Guerreiro, pointing as an example EarthCheck CEO, Stewart Moore, Innovation Norway consultant, Ingunn Sornes, and TUI Sustainability Office Director, Jane Ashton. The program of the event can be consulted athttps://www.gstcouncil.org/gstc2019/program/ Registrations for Azores’ residents can be made through the email addresshttps://www.gstcouncil.org/gstc2019/azorean-registration/. Holders of the Miosótis award, as well as holders of GSTC-accredited and/or recognized certification schemes, have access to an additional discount. Marta Guerreiro was talking, in the context of the visit to Terceira Island, on the sidelines of the visit to the tourist resort ‘Casa das Cinco’. “This is another excellent example of qualifying our offer,” said the Regional Secretary, adding that ‘Casa das Cinco’ was a former Fiscal Guard House that was transformed into a ‘picturesque tourist house’ with a ‘great location’, close to the sea and Angra do Heroísmo, a World Heritage city”.
The regional secretary of Energy, Environment and Tourism of the Government of the Azores said today that the executive is working so that by the end of the year the region can be awarded with the certification as a sustainable tourism destination. “We are working hard to make this possible,” said Marta Guerreiro, indicating that an audit by the certification entity is expected later this month. The responsible for the tourism sector in the Azorean archipelago spoke to journalists after meeting in Ponta Delgada, the Advisory Committee for the Sustainability of the Azores Tourist Destination. This committee, which met today for the first time, aims to monitor, analyze, debate, issue opinions and make recommendations on the certification process, on the implementation of planning, management and monitoring tools, as well as monitoring the activity of the Board of Sustainability Management of the Azores Tourist Destination. As part of this certification process, the Azores already have the bronze status of ‘EarthCheck’, a certifying entity for sustainable tourist destinations. Regarding the audit, the Regional Secretary of Tourism stated that “she will evaluate a huge set of indicators for the region that have been collected over the last three years, ranging from environmental issues, but also social issues such as unemployment rates or issues, which will be analyzed in a first phase in the office”. Subsequently, the auditors will be present on three islands for field visits to infrastructure and business contacts. Marta Guerreiro said that today the partners were presented with an action plan containing a set of very practical measures, a document that is available on the Internet and “a tool that identifies and defines the measures to be implemented in the short, medium and long term”. According to Marta Guerreiro, throughout this process, “a huge set of indicators applicable to sustainability requirements, which are not so environmental, but also social, economic and cultural” was made, a huge set of initiatives, from the Sustainability Charter, which has over 80 subscribers, school actions and workgroups per island. Marta Guerreiro highlighted “two major areas of importance” for the Azores to obtain this certification, “the first of all is a matter of responsibility”, underlining the responsibility for the “environmental legacy” and “fantastic cultural” of the archipelago. “It is also an excellent opportunity because it places us and positions us as a region that we want to promote in the world as a reference in terms of sustainability,” she said.