President of the Government emphasises at BTL that 2024 will consolidate the Azores as sustainable tourist destination

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, attended today the opening of this year's edition of the Lisbon Travel Market (BTL), which has the Azores as a guest national destination. On the occasion, he recalled the progress already made and the mission to consolidate the destination in terms of sustainability by 2024.

"We are already beginning to see the results of the work that has been done, and 2024 is also a starting point for the consolidation of the Azores as a sustainable tourist destination," he emphasised, speaking at the opening of the event.

"It is good to live in the Azores and it is good to visit the Azores. This is our great motto, and it is quite evident here at BTL," continued José Manuel Bolieiro.

For the President of the Government, the "identity" of the Azores is a "differentiating and unique reference" for those looking for new tourist experiences.

BTL features the 19 municipalities of the Region as well as many Azorean companies, which were visited by the President of the Government on the first day of the event.

It should be noted that the Azores broke all records in the tourism sector in 2023, with tourist accommodation registering about 3.8 million overnight stays and 1.2 million guests.

The latest data released by the Regional Statistics Service (SREA) shows that "the total number of overnight stays stood at 3.8 million last year, an increase of 15.1% compared to the previous year. The overall number of guests reached 1.2 million, 14.8% more than in 2022. In that year, the average stay stood at 3.18 days."

According to the SREA, these are the highest figures since tourism data began to be recorded (2001).

It should also be recalled that a record figure of 157.8 million Euros in revenue was generated in hospitality establishments, marking 2023 as the first year ever to exceed the 150 million-Euro figure in terms of overall revenue for hospitality in the Azores.

For Azorean tourism, last year was not only a record-breaking year but also the year when the Region won some of the world's most important awards in the sector - including the World Travel Awards for "Best Adventure Tourism Destination in the World."

The Azores are the first archipelago in the world to be certified as a "Sustainable Tourism Destination." In 2023, they were awarded "Silver Level IV," which further consolidates their leadership in terms of tourism sustainability, with a view to achieving "Gold Level" in 2024.

This evolution in certification "is due to the compliance of the Region with the criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, the international accreditation entity for sustainable tourism certification."

The prestigious National Geographic magazine also highlighted the Azores in the "Nature" category, describing them as "a land born of fire but now engulfed in green" and noting that "the Azores are working to secure their future." This magazine had already highlighted the Azores as one of the top destinations for 2023 at the end of 2022.

Alongside these achievements, the "Azores Routes - Cultural and Landscape Itineraries" project won the National Tourism Award in the "Authentic Tourism" category, an initiative of Expresso newspaper and BPI bank, while Madalena do Pico was distinguished as one of the "Best Tourism Villages" by the World Tourism Organisation.

Recently, already in 2024, the Autonomous Region of the Azores renewed its Quality Coast award, an international prize awarded by Green Destinations that distinguishes coastal environmental quality for sustainable tourism.

The regional tourism performance and the various international awards and prizes demonstrate the positive evolution of tourism in the Azores, the high levels of quality that this destination has to offer, and the international recognition that the Region has achieved in one of the most competitive sectors of the global economy.