‘The Algarve soon will have a strategy for motorcaravans as the organisations that decide such things are to sign off a protocol on January 21st, 2015.’
This was the bold opening statement of a January 16th news item.
January 21st 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,’ said the CCDR-A news release.
This was over a month ago and caravanning groups have been waiting for news of the protocol’s action points, what each council was going to do and how the new, legal, clean, cheap and well-publicised network seamlessly would link across the Algarve and be promoted far and wide to the benefit of regional tourism.
Each of the council mayors were involved in the great plan as their association agreed to this bold new initiative to sort out the negative aspects of caravanning and work on the many positives.
Late last week, Lagos council ‘began the discussion of the strategy to develop motorcaravanning in the county’ at a time when many thought it would be launching a new service, along with the other councils.
Lagos council managed weakly to suggest that "motorcaravanning is identified as a tourist segment that deserves special attention."
Adding that, “this practice when outside suitable areas can pose a threat to the safety of motorcaravanners themselves and leads to perverse effects in the areas of planning and the environment, endangering, in most cases, sensitive landscape and environmental areas.”
"It is therefore imperative to structure this offer in the territory, improving reception conditions in the Algarve," emphasised Lagos. Quite so, but when?
If the other councils are as slow off the mark as Lagos, we can expect more news of the wrong sort throughout the caravanning season.
If this protocol has no action points and it is left to individual councils to dream something up, the coordinated regional strategy that the Algarve has been waiting for simply will not happen.
Meanwhile, the Aliens and Borders Service (SEF), the Maritime Police and the GNR have been tightening supervision in order to control foreigners parking illegally.
In recent days, these authorities have been talking to motorcaravanners in Armação de Pêra, Silves, and Quarteira. In Armação over 50 motorcaravans were illegally stationed.
On Friday, SEF officials went to Forte Novo, Quarteira where they noted 23 motorcaravans and identified 47 foreigners.
In both actions, those identified were EU nationals. The GNR checked out the vehicles which were illegally parked in coastal areas but, the Maritime Police commander for the area explained that "these actions were mainly educational and informative."
See also: http://www.algarvedailynews.com/news/4518-algarve-launch-regional-strategy-for-motorcaravans
