José Manuel Bolieiro defends promotion of wine tourism with new hotel in Pico - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro,  visited today the Pico Vineyards Hotel, a four-star rural tourism development whose construction is nearing completion and is scheduled to open in the coming months.

This project represents an investment of 1.6 million Euros, co-financed under the Competir+ Incentive Scheme, and aims to attract wine lovers, nature lovers, and design and architecture tourists with high purchasing power from Europe, the United States and Asia. 

The head of the Azorean Government highlighted the importance of projects like this for the economic dynamics of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

"Tourism should leverage the other sectors of the economy, and the Azores have shown vitality and dynamic growth like never before. We intend to continue promoting the qualification, improvement, diversification and differentiation of tourist products, always with a focus on sustainable tourism that values the Region's natural and landscape resources," he said. 

The development, located in a vineyard surrounded by basalt stone walls, is committed to using regional raw materials such as basalt stone and cryptomeria, enhancing the local identity - it has 15 accommodation units and a winery, which produced 400 litres of white wine in 2024. The Regional Directorate for Tourism has already classified the project as "innovative, creating diversity and qualifying the existing tourist offer."

He also emphasised the importance of the Azores Vine and Wine Institute (IVVA) to the success of the regional wine sector.

"The positive dynamics of the wine sector over the last three decades are remarkable. The creation of the IVVA provides integrated and effective support for the sector's challenges, ensuring the standardisation of policies and regulations," he said. 

In recent years, the island of Pico has seen significant tourism growth, with a 12% increase in the number of overnight stays in 2024, reaching 242,505, and a 16% increase in revenue from hospitality establishments, totalling seven million Euros. These figures underline the importance of projects such as the Pico Vineyards Hotel in consolidating the island as a leading tourist destination.

The event, included in the statutory visit to Pico, was also attended by the Regional Secretary for Finance, Planning and Public Administration, Duarte Freitas, the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, Berta Cabral, and the Mayor of Madalena, Catarina Manito.