Turismo de Portugal boss, Cotrim Figueiredo, anticipates an "historic year" for tourism, and Economy Minister, Pires de Lima, tells of a booming sector.
The pair were commenting on the latest data provided by the National Statistics Institute for the tourism sector, and Pires de Lima claimed "the tourism sector is accelerating in Portugal, in May is had an increase of 14.5%."
“The growth in income was almost 19%, while the rise in overnight stays amounted to 12.3%.”
Pires de Lima attributed this trend to the "good behaviour of entrepreneurs in the sector” and stressed that "tourism is having a key role in the balance of trade."
John Cotrim Figueiredo, President of Turismo de Portugal, was equally pleased with the performance of the sector and reckoned that "the year 2014 will be an historic year for Portuguese tourism," adding special praise for the Alentejo region which achieved the highest increase in May of nights spent in hotels, attributing this to the "good job that the public and private authorities have been doing."
According to the Institute, the regions of Alentejo, Algarve and Lisbon all managed increases in overnight stays in their hotels, with Lisbon and the Algarve "benefitting from increased accommodation capacity compared with the same month last year, as a result of adjustments to the capacity, as well as the existence of a greater number of units in operation in each of the regions."
Meanwhile, in parliament the Socialists and Communists grilled the government over the expected closure of maternity facilities at the hospital in Portimão which is seen as part of a general decline in health provision across the Algarve region at a time when the population increases by around 300% due to the tourist influx.
Questions posed alluded to "current medical resources, pediatricians, internal, and contracted staff that are insufficient to maintain medical cover for emergency admissions in the Faro and Portimão hospitals."
MPs asked "why this Ministry (of Health) gives assurances that the shortage of professionals is urgently being resolved so as not to compromise the normal provision of health care in the Algarve" when the situation on the wards tells another story.
Algarve MP Miguel Freitas said that "this situation in no way absolves the Ministry of Health from responsibility in finally resolving the serious lack of doctors in the region - the Medical Association puts the figure at over 200."
The Communists commented, "If the closure of the maternity ward in Portimão goes ahead, the Algarve would be reduced to one maternity unit for nearly half a million residents in the districts of Lagos, Vila do Bispo, Monchique and Silves who then would be, in some cases, almost two hours away from the nearest ward (Faro) with the associated risks and costs that this option entails."
The Communist MPs asked for an increase in the number of pediatricians, obstetricians, nurses and other health professionals, the reversal of the merger of three hospitals in the region and the end of the Hospitals of the Algarve Group management system and the strengthening of funds from the state budget to invest in hospitals and other health facilities in the Algarve region.
