A row has broken out over the success, or otherwise, of the '365 Algarve' promotional programme and whether it was designed to increase tourism or merely, ‘to give people choices.’
The programme is half way through its October 2016 to May 2017 run and Dália Paulo, in charge of the series of events, says the purpose is to give people a choice of cultural events across the region.
“The programme comprises over a thousand presentations of music, dance, theatre, exhibitions, activities involving the region's heritage, and much more,” runs the website blurb but this is not what tourism leaders and hotel chiefs were led to believe when the programme was launched.
Expecting an events programme that would help fill hotel rooms that otherwise would remain empty, hotel association boss, Elidérico Viegas, commented to Sul Informação that he was not against the logic of the 365 programme, but was against its "failure and lack of results.”
Dália Paulo commented to the regional news service that the goal of 365 Algarve “has never been to combat seasonality per se, but to be a tool, a useful tool, for tourists to have a different experience.”
Elidérico Viegas (pictured above) says the programme is not one that the Algarve needs, nor has it so far achieved the objectives that were proposed, such as "combating seasonality."
Viegas want a few big off-season events to draw in new tourists, as does the Algarve’s regional toursim potentate, Desidério Silva, who wants ‘two of three’ big events and does not agree with how the current 365 Algarve programme has been run or promoted.
Dália Paulo's view is that the programme was not set up to include big events, but a series of smaller ones.
Desidério Silva, in partnership with Turismo de Portugal and the Secretaries of State for Tourism and Culture, is one of the promoters of the programme but admits that the first 365 Algarve programme has had its difficulties and that for the 2017-18 programme, solutions will be found.
This was the first hint that this series of events will be extended for a second period with Silva adding that the University of the Algarve already is studying the programme’s successes and failures.
Desidério Silva did state that it would be unfair to expect 365 Algarve on its own to combat seasonality, but combined with promoting other sectors such as nature tourism and food tourism, it would certainly be a help - but seasonality is waning anyway with more flights into Faro during the low season already cheering the region's hoteliers.
