Consumer watchdog, DECO, has criticised Ryanair, claiming that after more than 10 years operating in Portugal, the company continues to ignore complaints from Portuguese customers as these have to be submitted in English.

DECO says there has been a rise in complaints against Ryanair, which now runs domestic flight within Portugal, and that customers complaints in languages other than English, remain unanswered.

Following a referendum on Switzerland concerning immigration, the authorities there have been struggling for three years to find a way to implement their mandate.

The Swiss president had been in negotiations with the EU for some time without reaching agreement until more talks were stalled by the sudden change in expectations that came with the Brexit vote.

Spain’s “impressive” economic recovery has been recognised by a report from the International Monetary Fund which also pointed to strong challenges in the future.

It suggested Spain should increase its revenues with “growth and job-friendly” future measures, which could include fewer VAT exemptions or increasing excise and environmental taxes instead of spending cuts.

The Portuguese economy should continue to grow, supported more by exports and investment than by private consumption, but not by more than the Eurozone average.

Portugal's Central Bank predicts economic growth accelerating to 1.5%, supported by exports which will provide nearly half of the country’s annual income, and investment.

The president of the Algarve mayors’ group, AMAL, said that the government’s plan to terminate the contracts for the exploration and extraction of oil and gas in the region "was a good decision" which should have been taken a long time ago.

"Fortunately, the government is to rescind the contracts and we consider that it is a good decision for the economy, for the environment and for tourism which is the fundamental business sector of the region and which contributes a huge percentage to the national accounts," said AMAL’s president.

The Public Security Police will be helping the region's population safely through the coming holiday period by being out and about with ‘highly visible’ patrols where people gather over the holidays.
 
The Public Security Police also know where there is likely to be trouble and will "patrol those areas in order to prevent and control illicit behavior that might risk the personal safety of the population during Christmas and New Year's Eve."

The Algarve’s business association, ACRAL, regrets the "perpetual" postponement of the construction of a new central hospital for the region and says the current government, just like all the previous ones, is intending to kick the project down the road until after the next general election.
 
"The new hospital is crucial to the sustainability of tourism in the Algarve: security, including health services, is one of the pillars of the destination's competitiveness: without effective health services the region’s image is degraded," says the president of ACRAL, Álvaro Viegas.

A record number of tourists celebrating New Year's Eve in the Algarve are set to fill the region’s hotels which are preparing for 100% occupancy.

The region’s tourist board, Turismo do Algarve, says the New Year is "traditionally stronger than Christmas" with a wide variety of events set up to attract visitors and the public.