The president of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, argued that sustainability should be at the center of the future of the tourism sector, stressing that the success of the activity should also be measured by the impact on the quality of life of residents.
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04/10/2026
by
Lusa
“ O tourism is only good if it is good for the resident population”, said José Manuel Bolieiro, who presided over the closing session of the Atlantic Days of Tourism, which took place in the municipality of Velas, on the island of São Jorge.
In its intervention, the President of the Azorean Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) considered that sustainability should cover entrepreneurs who invest in the sector and take risks in an activity subject to higher and lower growth periods, often due to circumstances outside their own destinations.
“ We need to be consistent in a path of added value”, said the head of the Azorean executive, quoted in a press release from the Regional Government, recalling that tourism is a cross-sectional activity, with the capacity to boost and add value to different sectors of the economy.
The president of the Government of the Azores also highlighted the strategy that the Region has been developing in the field of sustainable tourism, pointing out the international certification process by EarthCheck as an expression of the commitments made by the Azores.
In 2019, the Azores received initial certification as a sustainable tourist destination and reached the Gold II level in 2025.
The Azorean ruler also recalled the challenges facing the sector in recent years, from the pandemic and the post-pandemic crisis to the consequences of war and other international circumstances.
In spite of this context, it stressed that the Region managed to overcome the results achieved in 2019, until then a reference year for Azorean tourism, and reach new peaks in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
In view of the variations observed in 2026, José Manuel Bolieiro defended the need to maintain a consistent strategy and, at the same time, strengthen the resilience capacity in the face of oscillations that, in many cases, result from factors external to the destinations, says the note.
The Atlantic Tourism Days 2026 were marked by the defense of greater cooperation between the Atlantic archipelagos.
The initiative, carried out in the context of twinning between the municipalities of Velas, in the Azores, Sal, in Cape Verde, and Porto Santo, in Madeira, promoted the reflection and sharing of experiences around the challenges and opportunities for tourism in the Atlantic islands.
José Manuel Bolieiro defended, in this context, a “culture of plurality” that allows to respect the specificities of each territory.
For the Azorean ruler, this condition requires particular attention to the cohesion and balanced distribution of opportunities between the different islands.
“ We have worked to ensure this territorial equity”, he said, defending a vision without privileges, based on a balanced distribution and a logic of whole that values each party.
For the president of the Government of the Azores, the exchange promoted by the Atlantic Tourism Days should contribute to finding, in plurality, a “unit of action and strategy”.
This cooperation, he maintained, can contribute to “developing a greater capacity for affirmation and creating a geography of interest and notoriety in the Atlantic space”.
The Regional Government stresses that the Atlantic Tourism Days have strengthened cooperation between the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde, “valuing common challenges and interests and contributing to a shared view of the Atlantic as an area of sustainability, mobility, innovation and economic, social and cultural development”.