“Of course the British market worries us because it is one of our main markets," said Ana Mendes Godinho, the secretary of state for tourism when questioned about the sharp decline in UK visitors to Portugal, especially to the Algarve.

Turismo de Portugal and Godinho launched a plan in June to ‘combat seasonality’ in the Algarve and Madeira, an initiative that Godinho explained is a, "very tactical" marketing campaign, with the aim of strengthening Portugal's presence in the United Kingdom, as well as in other key markets markets but this will not fill the empty summertime hotel beds.

Either, Portuguese households suddenly have become better off this year, or the banks have returned to the 'good old days' of handing out personal loans, without being too fussy as to the recipient.

Banks and financial institutions provided close to €3.7 billion in consumer credit in the first half of 2018, a record and an average of €20 million per day in a country whose population is just over 10 million people.

TAP has ditched its free air travel scheme for top-ranking politicians.

"TAP is working with the government to establish new rules on the conditions to be applied to the travel of public servants, to be adopted shortly," read the rather stiff notice from the airline this morning.

Portugal’s Public Prosecutor had ordered the immediate arrest of Duarte Lima so he can start serving a six year jail sentence. The same applied to Lima’s partner in crime, Vítor Raposo. Both were picked up today.

The former PSD MP, Duarte Lima, was instrumental in a land deal using over €40 million, borrowed from the former Banco Português de Negócios.

One of the Algarve's niche tourism sectors faces frustration and restriction due to the lack of beaches where users can strip off.

Eight years after naturists breathed a sigh of relief that a new law has expanded the number of beaches that could be used for au naturel beach activities, not a single new naturist beach has been authorised.

Many villagers in Parchal had the opportunity to attend a ceremony that saw the elevation of their community church from a vicariate - a church ministered to by a vicar – to a parish all of its own.

The Christian community of Parchal in Lagoa gathered on Wednesday, August 15, at a ceremony presided over by the Bishop of the Algarve himself, D. Manuel Quintas.

Portugal’s harbour authority, Docapesca, finally has launched a public tender for dredging work at Faro docks at a target price of €100,000.

The dredging, the first in 27 years, will see 16000m3 of silt removed in an effort to restore the dock area in preparation for the refurbishment of the floating piers used by fishermen.

A message has been posted on the website of the defunct Almancil business, Premier FX, '"The currency exchange experts,' announcing the appointment of Dina Devalia and Peter Hart, of PKF Geoffrey Martin & Co as joint administrators.

In addition to the shock of the collapse of the business in July, subsequent to the death of founder Peter Rexstrew on June 16th, customers have been appalled at the lack of information issued by the company since its closure on July 20th.