Two of the Algarve’s business associations have warned that despite this year’s buoyant tourism figures bringing a welcome boost to the regional and national economies, care needs to be taken not to get over-excited.
The Association of Hotels and Resorts in the Algarve (AHETA), said the government and the various agencies involved in tourism need to balance tourism with social development in the Algarve, especially when it comes to the physically and visually impaired.
Ratings agency Fitch is not in the business of cheering up the Portuguese government and today’s assessment of actions and events deemed harmful to the economy is no exception.
The long-awaited reduction in VAT for the restaurant sector is seen by the agency as a bad thing as it may impair the all important deficit reduction target for 2016.
To the relief of many Algarve residents, the current blistering temperature are set to drop on Wednesday as a cold front will bring a drop of 10°C across the region.
Weather expert Sandra Correia commented, "Today and for Tuesday we have issued hot weather warnings at level ‘orange’ for some districts, mainly inland in the north and the centre of Portugal and for almost the entire southern region where the maximum temperature will be reaching between 40°C and 43°C in some of these regions."
Many of Portugal’s drivers are removing diesel particulate filters from their vehicles which are still passing government inspections.
To save on replacing expensive parts and on fuel consumption, motorists are allowing polluting particles into the atmosphere with a consequent impact on air quality and health.
“Portugal should leave the euro so it can grow, create jobs and reduce its debt,” according to Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz.
Stiglitz was interviewed at length on Portugal's Antena 1 radio station and concluded that if Portugal stays in the eurozone single currency it will always have difficulties.
The 2016 World Travel Awards, the tourism ‘Oscars,’ took place in Sardinia on September 4th with many Portuguese businesses accepting awards in 23 categories.
The Algarve now is the holder of the accolade for Europe’s Best Beach Resort, and Madeira is Best Island Destination.
Portugal’s left wing website esquerda.net - which ‘reflects the opinions of the Left Bloc - has delivered a damning report on the government’s continuing desire to turn Portugal’s sea and land areas into oil and gas production zones.
Summarising the history of the oil and gas programme, while showing how out of date and out of touch government policy is with current thinking on energy policies, esquerda.net effectively has laid out the Left Bloc’s position.
As firemen continue to patrol the wasteland that once were the eucalyptus forests and green hillsides of Monchique, the man caught in the act of starting fire in Foia last Saturday has been up before the court in Portimão on Monday afternoon.
The 49-year-old was born in Vila Real de Santo António but resident in Loulé. He works in a bar in Quinta do Lago and was caught red-handed by a GNR patrol as he crouched down with a lighter to ignite a pile of leaves in a hard to access forest area.
