Hoteliers in the Algarve want to build housing for workers, to help combat the lack of labour in the tourism sector, so are asking the Government to make land available at affordable prices.
Speaking to Lusa news agency, Hélder Martins, the president of the region's largest hotel association (Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve - AHETA) regretted that the request "made repeatedly, for at least two years, to several ministers and secretaries of State, has not yet had any response".
"We have been asking for a pool of available land to be created that can be made available at acceptable, non-market prices, to build social housing for hotel employees", he said.
According to Hélder Martins, the lack of “decent and affordable housing is the first problem to combat the lack of labour in tourism and to retain talent in the region", which is struggling with the lack of workers in the sector. The objective “is to enable housing of various types to be built, outside areas of tourist influence, four or five kilometres away from the hotel, to be made available to employees”, he explained.
“Only in the last two years, I presented the proposal to several ministers and secretaries of State, but to date we have not received any response, despite everyone considering the proposal to be very good”, highlighted the businessman.
The AHETA leader considers that “this is the ideal time” to meet the hoteliers’ wishes, given that the review of municipal master plans (PDM), planning and territorial planning instruments, is underway.
The official said he hoped that the proposal, also presented to the parties during the electoral campaign, “can be followed up in the short term, as all parties have expressed their agreement”.
Solving the problem of the lack of housing in the Algarve has also become a priority strategy for hotel entrepreneurs, when recruiting labour for the sector, a problem that has been getting worse in recent years.
Source https://www.lusa.pt/ - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
