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Lagoa beauty spot changing into a motorcaravan park

motorcaravan1As the annual bitching starts from the Algarve’s campsite operators, justifiably incensed at the lack of effort from the authorities in controlling motorcaravan owners enjoying the region from their illegally parked vehicles, Lagoa council has decided to turn a large section of Estômbar's Sitio das Fontes into an official motorcaravan camp site.

So called ‘wild camping’ long has been a problem in the Algarve, but one that has increased year on year so that now an estimated 180,000 motorcaravans are in the region, far more than local campsite provision could handle.

The tourist board wants to encourage this market as many motorcaravan owners come to the Algarve in the off season, boosting local trade and providing customers for languishing businesses.

This year the campsite operators have submitted a complaint to the State Secretary for Tourism asking him to regulate the sector with a bit more effort. That was several months ago. As for a reply, they are still waiting as she is very busy.

January 2015 saw the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of the Algarve, the Intermunicipal Community of Algarve, the Algarve Tourism Board and the Algarve Tourism Association sign a protocol for the implementation of a regional strategy to host motorcaravanning.

"For many years, this tourist segment has had a strong presence in the Algarve region and with the involvement of these bodies we will have the conditions to move forward with a regional network of spaces for hosting motorcaravans,’ boasted the CCDR-A news release way back then.

To say this project has been anything but a total failure would be wrong. Tourism boss Desidério Silva is still coming out the same old drivel that he has been spouting for years:

“It has a relevant importance for the region’s economy, but the motorcaravanners have to stay on sites with all the necessary conditions of safety and hygiene, factors that are required to comply with rules so that it is no longer an anarchic issue which can entail the destruction of natural and sensitive spaces”, adding that “the tourist board is working with municipalities to take better advantage of this tourism segment.”

Two and half years later, Silva is still, 'working on it' but lacks the practical skills and motivation to succeed.

Nobody really knows what to do, with too few licensed sites for the demand and an aversion by many users to park in organised sites when there is the whole of the Algarve’s coastline to park in.

Lagoa council has come up with a plan that will trigger complaint from many locals. It has decided to turn part of the idyllic Sítio das Fontes in Estômbar into a motorcaravan campsite.

The council is to create a sheltered area for campers, in fact the work already has been commissioned at a cost to the ratepayer of €45,000 and will be ready in three months.

A 2,100 m2 chunk of this waterside park, beloved by generations of Lagoa locals, soon will be an overnight parking area for 25 vehicles.

The site will join the official Reception Network for Motor Homes in the Algarve Region and, if anyone can find it, no doubt will be popular with caravanners who will have access to drinking water, a wastewater discharge point, a waste disposal zone, an eco-point, public lighting and a WiFi service.

Until this market is analysed, nothing will change as those involved want the income while pretending to be keen on regulation. The losers are the registered campsites whose investors were foolish enough to believe that this sector will ever be regulated or policed.

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Comments  

+2 #10 robert c 2017-04-24 11:07
Ihave portuguese registed motorhome i live in a villafull time ,but enjoy weekends in algarve
Registered campsites are ok for longer term holiday makers but areas for simpleover night stop overs are needed in every town .a small fee payable to cover council cleaning etc would be justified and provide small bars ,shops etc with muchneeded busines over the full 12 months of the year
+1 #9 robert c 2017-04-24 10:59
Every town in algarve needs to provide areas for motorhomes, well done lagos council great space at stadium,
also Sagres great space for motorhomes why on earth the council does not charge small fee and reopen the toilet block and provide water as the car park has bags of space and being used by motorhomes all year
Silves has three good sites charges about 6 euros per night well done to them
-3 #8 Varzeaman 2017-04-23 10:58
Perhaps we should behave as the French do and burn a few at the border!
+3 #7 liveaboard 2017-04-19 08:57
Quoting Marjolein Massis:
It does not have to be so complicated. Like renting out, with a license, a room in your house, give permission to small land owners to have a maximum of 4 campers for a maximum stay of 1 week, on their land. For a license they must have one outside shower, a container for waste disposel and a , from the house separate, septic tank for the campers use . Once a year a decent extra imi tax payable to the camara and problem solved. All owners of land like a little extra income for little work, just keep the place clean and do a little investment . All camaras get a extra income for the extra use of their roads , waste collection etc. and local shops keep the off season income .


Quite right; instead we have a hugely complex set of rules for campsites which seemed designed to suit the large operators by excluding small and microsites from the possibility of legality.
Portugal has only 2 possibilities for motorhomers; huge regulated campsites, or unregulated illegal parking.
There are thousands of smallholders in the country who could happily and sustainably host a few caravans each, spreading the wealth while not overloading any one region.
+2 #6 Pike 2017-04-19 07:11
Good morning. Maybe anyone could share info why huge car and caravan park in Portimao near marina is closed?
+3 #5 wildcamper 2017-04-18 21:48
We first came to Portugal in 1999. Motorhomes were fairly rare and certainly smaller than at present. We used our van to explore the inland areas, often staying for a couple of nights, causing no problems and meeting wonderful personalities. We felt that it was like having a perfectly self-contained boat at sea. We could travel down any reasonable road. After 4 days,or so, we needed fresh water and to discharge our wastes. We would pull into a campsite,for a couple of days... Very much like putting a boat into a marina. Living long term on a campsite, was boring, and uninspiring...as with a boat that never leaves the marina...what a waste.
After 5 years, touring Iberia and learning the basic languages, we bought a house here, continuing to bolster the local economy
It's unfair to brand all motorhomers as irresponsible polluters. They are only a small minority of the numbers involved. Say 1%
Now there are,allegedly, 180,000 motorhomes here,many large vehicles with trailers. If 1% of them are miscreants, that's 1800, and a big local problem. This is because North Africa is not as attractive to French, German and Dutch campers, who, like lemmings, seek a sea view.
We, and many others, would never dream of speeding a night in those mobile slums. We try to advise newcomers that there is more to Portugal, than crowded beaches.
Create more facilities to service motorhomes,like those at Villa Real by all means;Especially inland. Charge a small fee. Enforce the rules about acceptable parking and obstruction. Don't promote this idea that we're all bad.
-1 #4 Angry Angie 2017-04-18 16:57
These campers are no better that romanies. They travel from place to place following the sun. they have total disregard for the locals who have to pay a high price in council tax to live with a sea view. They use facilities like waste bins paid for by the locals. They bring their dogs and let them roam around, cook on bbq's and leave the remains behind. The police should be give the power to move them off any land not specially designated for overnight camping. :-x :-x
+4 #3 Marjolein Massis 2017-04-18 11:37
It does not have to be so complicated. Like renting out, with a license, a room in your house, give permission to small land owners to have a maximum of 4 campers for a maximum stay of 1 week, on their land. For a license they must have one outside shower, a container for waste disposel and a , from the house separate, septic tank for the campers use . Once a year a decent extra imi tax payable to the camara and problem solved. All owners of land like a little extra income for little work, just keep the place clean and do a little investment . All camaras get a extra income for the extra use of their roads , waste collection etc. and local shops keep the off season income .
All this can work very well if the police will fine and collect the money from the stray campers on the spot!!
You Portugese have a lovely country and are very willing to share and camper owners must show more respect then they do now. I bet that they do not and can not behave in their own country as they do so often in Portugal.
-3 #2 Tbr 2017-04-18 10:52
Welcome as any official sites are it will not stop a large minority of vanners who will take every opportunity to avoid paying a few euros for facilities.
The GNR needs to move even more on from carparjs and beachsides.
-2 #1 CHARLY 2017-04-18 06:06
business like usual: no vision, no plan, no strategy, no market analysis, nada, nada !
Very rediculous thing: in front of a potential of 150 caravanners... Lago will create 25 places.
That's exactely what happened some years ago with the parkings in Carvoeiro: with a potential of 500 places needed.... the camara suppressed more than 100 places out of the 300 existing. Result today: daily drama in Carvoeiro that costs probably up to 40% of the income of all the local shops and restaurant holders as tourists with cars simply AVOID Carvoeiro. Or maybe that was the purpose &and the option the politicians choosed for....

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