Albufeira Promotion Agency celebrates 20 years

The two decades of APAL – Albufeira Promotion Agency were marked on Friday, April 19, with an intense program, at the Nau Salgados Palace, in Albufeira.

One of the highlights was the conference “Caminhos para o Turismo”, which opened with interventions by Desidério Silva, president of the APAL board, and the recently appointed Secretary of State for Tourism, Pedro Machado.

On the occasion, Desidério Silva called for joint work with the municipality and the commitment of associates to “strengthen the Albufeira brand”. The president of the board stated that APAL is and will always be a partner of the municipality, reiterating that this “is not just a tourism promotion association, but also a link with the business sector, especially hotels and similar sectors”.

Addressing the Secretary of State for Tourism, Desidério Silva challenged the government to prioritize several investments for the Algarve region, to accompany the efforts of the private sector. Among the investments listed, emphasis is placed, for example, on improving the transport network; road infrastructure; water management in the region; construction of a new central hospital; modernization of the railway line or the total requalification of EN 125.

“It is important to look at and value this region once and for all”, he argued, asking Pedro Machado to “sensitize the current government to place the Algarve in the place it deserves in terms of public investment, appreciation of the territory, sustainability environmental and economic”.

Desidério Silva mentioned the growing importance of APAL members, who are now close to 250, highlighting that the future of the destination depends on a collective effort.

“The destination and the Albufeira brand will only be valued if we all work in the same direction. All markets, as well as our competitors, will pay attention to what we do. We cannot fail. The future of Albufeira is also in your hands and not just in the hands of the council and other entities”.

Also Pedro Machado considers that the success of the tourism sector in Portugal depends on collaboration between the government, private sector and universities. In what was his second trip to the Algarve, the new Secretary of State for Tourism recognized that “the challenges in the sector are immense and so are the opportunities”, having revealed some of the goals of the new government.

The ‘Paths for Tourism’ conference included two panels of experts, who reflected on some themes related to the sector.

To talk about ‘New Forms of Tourism Promotion’, António Jorge Costa, CEO of IPDT Turismo, and Carlos Coelho, president of Ivity Brand Group, were invited.

The theme ‘The Future of Tourism: Opportunities and Threats’ was addressed by Luís Serra Coelho, associate professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Algarve, and by João Luís Duque, full professor at ISEG – Technical University of Lisbon.

For the president of the Algarve Tourism Region, André Gomes, “it is essential to have good coordination between the various public, associative and private entities to enhance the sector, so that everyone, together, can act to maximize resources for the benefit of the region.”

The ‘Paths for Tourism’ conference was followed by a dinner, during which the people who were involved in the creation of APAL were honored, namely: Desidério Silva; José Carlos Rolo; Helder Martins; José Carlos Leandro; Vítor Vieira; Lina Bazelga; Carla Ponte; Cristina Miguel; Arlindo Simões Ferreira; José Santos; Rui Justo; Carlos Santos and Helena Simões. At the same time, the work carried out by Dora Coelho and Luís Pereira, former general coordinators of APAL, was highlighted, as well as Joana Machado, who currently performs this role.

The role played by Carlos Silva e Sousa in defending this institution was also recognized, through the sponsorship of a scholarship bearing his name. This scholarship will be awarded for the period 2024/2027 to a student of the Degree in Tourism, at the University of Algarve, covering the payment of tuition fees for the three years of the course.

The night ended in celebration with a moment of humor starring Eduardo Madeira.

The commemorative program for APAL’s 20th anniversary began with an exhibition of members, in which several companies and entities from the most varied sectors participated.

With this exhibition, APAL intended to create an opportunity for its members to showcase their products and services, as well as develop synergies.