Berta Cabral praises interaction of University of the Azores with Government and private sector in search for solutions to promote progress - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Turismo, Mobilidade e Infraestruturas

The Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures defended this Wednesday in Ponta Delgada that the interaction work that the University of the Azores has been carrying out with companies and government entities is crucial, as it "seeks discussions and useful solutions for economic and social progress."

"This is the basis of the “Triple Helix” that underpins the creation of technological value based on knowledge that can be applied to solve real needs. It is an immense wealth of knowledge, which we must harness and leverage for the development of the Azores as a top-level tourist destination," said Berta Cabral. She spoke at the seminar “Excellence and Sustainability in Tourism - Creating Experiences, Exceeding Expectations” at the University of the Azores.

Berta Cabral recalled that the Strategic and Marketing Plan for Tourism in the Azores (PEMTA 2030) takes the Region "to new heights of excellence."

And she explained: "In a mindful and strategically challenging way, we have defined sustainability as the key pillar, meeting four major goals: consolidating the Azores internationally as a sustainable destination; reducing seasonality and distributing tourist flows throughout the territory; raising quality standards and generating more value; promoting visibility among potential consumers."

This plan aims to not only attract visitors but also to establish the quality and differentiation of tourism in the Azores. It has been a long time since a good product or service was enough in the tourism industry. Tourism is increasingly made up of experiences and emotions, meaningful interactions and moments of immersion and abstraction," she added.

In fact, she said, tourism "is made up of experiences that tend to be memorable and break with the daily routine, but they put tourists in a position to assess their expectations and idealisations. The ability to respond effectively to this new paradigm is the secret to the success of the world's best destinations."

"We have managed to keep up with this trend in the Azores, consistently building a consistent value proposition and an external image suited to the type and quality of our tourism offer. This is demonstrated by the tourism performance figures for the last few years, which show that the Azores have successively broken records in a sustainable manner," she said.

Last year was the best for Azorean tourism, with more than 3.8 million overnight stays and record hospitality revenue of about 158 million Euros. There was a 14.4% increase in overnight stays and a 23% increase in hospitality revenue compared to 2022 - when compared to 2019, there was an increase of almost 30% in overnight stays and more than 50% in revenue.

As she said, these indicators reveal "the rise in the quality and sustainability of the Azores destination, as the growth in revenue was much higher than the growth in overnight stays, i.e. a growth based on value rather than quantity."

The various international prizes and recognitions awarded to the Region also evidence the qualitative evolution of the Azores destination and are a key factor in consolidating external visibility.

"This recognition stems from the work done throughout the sector's value chain, involving public and private organisations. However, we are still aware of what we need to continue to do, realising that the Azores are a young destination with an immense potential to explore and grow," she stressed.

Nevertheless, she emphasised the high level of "joint responsibility to continue to proactively develop the tourism offer, working to improve the structuring, quality and consistency of the experience and services provided to tourists."

Berta Cabral defended the fundamental investment in the qualification of human resources, the continuous improvement of services and the innovation of products and management practices, along with the creation of new products, ensuring that infrastructures are updated and adapted to the sector's needs.

"We are fully committed to this way of thinking, striving to use the best resources available to create ever better experiences for our visitors.

In this respect, we have a clear direction where our nature - on land or at sea - and our human nature stand out as the cornerstones of our strategy to promote the territory," he emphasised.

Highlighting nature tourism as a priority product, based on unparalleled natural resources, she also stated that ‘cultural tourism increasingly plays a leading role, reinforcing the role of human nature and authenticity in promoting the Azores as a tourist destination of choice."

"We are preserving our traditions and history, but above all, we are acknowledging the value of our communities, values, traditions and experiences. Tourism is only good as long as it is good for those visiting us and, above all, for those living here," added Berta Cabral.

The Secretary for Tourism defended the need to "consider new tourism development policies based on a constructive approach." It is inevitable to look at technology as a management and support mechanism for this decision, but "it is vital to carefully analyse the signs from the market and the territory regarding the development of restaurants, accommodation and many other support services."

With the mitigation of seasonality being the sector's main challenge, Berta Cabral reiterated the goal of having tourism all year round on all islands, stating: "Seasonality is a structural challenge typical of the tourism industry and is intensified by our geographical location, which disrupts the consistency of supply and the predictability of the income generated in the economy."

"The investment we have made in certain products, such as cultural tourism, wellness tourism, or gastronomic and wine tourism, is one way of trying to mitigate seasonality, coupled with initiatives in terms of external promotion, either through special campaigns or the expansion of the operation period of international air routes," she said.