Desidério Silva is not happy. As head of the Algarve region’s tourist board the last thing he needs is for members of the police to hang around the airport handing out leaflets to tourists informing them they are not safe.
This of course is exactly what is planned and Silva, as chairman of the executive committee of Tourism of the Algarve, formally has called for the National Union of Police to desist in its protest lest its actions spoil the carefully created image of safety that the Algarve has been promoting in the recent past, backed up by statistics showing this indeed is the case.
Silva sees the police action as “jeopardising the recovery of tourism, which already shows positive indicators, and threatening expected job growth.”
“Despite the difficult national financial situation and the enormous effort required from the Portuguese in recent years, the Police Union 'SINAPOL' should not be undermining the country's recovery and spoiling tourism, a sector that is seen as the engine of our economy particularly in the Algarve” reads the terse press release sent to media this afternoon.
“This police action would have a devastating effect, destroying years of work and investment in the image of Portugal and the Algarve as one of the safest tourist destinations in the world. The repercussions would be incalculable for the region's economy.”
The Tourist Board’s executive committee publicly recognises the commitment of the various services and security forces in the Algarve, but appeals to the common sense of law enforcement officers to preserve the best interests of the region through dialogue and consultation, and not by handing out leaflets to tourists.
