On April 22, 2024, after receiving the Document presented by the Executive of the Albufeira City Council, the Coordinator of the Albufeira Municipality for the ADN Party, Paolo Funassi, decided to publicly analyze it
when present at the Municipal Assembly of Albufeira and as a speaker, he presented a series of thematic points relevant to the good development of the Economic Model for Albufeira, in accordance with the Electoral Program of the ADN Party represented by the Coordinators of the Algarve Political Commission – ADN who also were present at this Municipal Assembly.
4 topics were covered:
1st
“Albufeira is part of your life” was the motto and key idea why Albufeira City Council asked the Institute for Tourism Planning and Development (IPDT) to develop a strategy in order to refocus the image and the tourist market from Albufeira.
On this point, Paolo Funassi considered that the Albufeira City Council Executive “is already late (!)”, after years of warnings given by economic agents and residents about the situation that has been worsening to date.
The Coordinator of the Municipality of Albufeira by ADN, highlights that there is a real “divorce” in the life of the city between tourists and residents. “It is very difficult to see tourists and residents visiting the same places or establishments, whether leisure, commercial or catering, it seems almost like oil and water.”
It appears that there is a distancing and expression of displeasure on the part of residents towards this lack of mixing of tourists and residents. Why is there this separation and separation between visitors and residents of Albufeira?
It was said in the Municipal Assembly that ADN Algarve realizes that 76% of economic agents who have commercial and business relations with Albufeira consider that, in the last 10 years, there has been a clear change in the profile of tourists who visit and frequent Albufeira. This tourist profile reveals that they (1) are less involved in local culture, (2) spend less money and (3) are less concerned about the preservation of our region’s natural resources. It is, therefore, a tourism with notoriously weak economic resources. Previously, tourism in Albufeira, as well as in the rest of the Algarve, was characterized by being frequented by foreign and national visitors with more economic/financial resources, and their culture was guided by more respectful, civilized behavior, based on family life.
Paolo Funassi believes that there are several other reasons why this situation in tourism in Albufeira and the Algarve has deteriorated, and naturally that the responsibility does not lie solely with the various Chamber Executives that have existed in the city.
“When a destination undergoes such a marked transformation, the private sector must also rethink the economic model in order to favor a real solution for Albufeira. National Democratic Alternative is always in favor of a strong, free private sector that should be much more involved in decisions about the city”.
At the meeting, Paolo Funassi made it clear that the Algarve Political Commission by ADN therefore has an Economic Model duly planned and prepared to resolve this issue so dear to our Algarve Region, and which in time it will publicize to this municipality and the rest of the region.
2nd
Paolo Funassi brought up the topic of the need and concern that tour operators have regarding the seasonal closure of many businesses, businesses or companies in Albufeira.
The problem of seasonality is due to the fact that the tourist sector and the municipality itself are only focused on the bathing season to the detriment of other tourist and non-tourist activities that encourage more work, more visitors, and thus avoiding the closure of many establishments. of this city, with unemployment as a serious and disastrous consequence. Migrant workers have to leave Albufeira, as well as other cities in the Algarve, without being able to secure housing, work and favorable conditions for starting a family, which is very disruptive to the proper functioning of a society that we want to be healthy.
In accordance with the line of thought and action of the ADN Algarve Political Commission, Anabela Morais, as a Humanist politician, defends the urgent need for Seasonality to end and create working and housing conditions as well as the creation of social and economic support for companies and for the workforce that is intended to be QUALIFIED so that it is consistent and maintained for as long as possible in the same workplace, as they are a solid and experienced body of workers, thus avoiding the turnover that exists and which is so damaging to the business fabric Algarve. ADN has concrete ideas on how to implement these worker settlements and improvements at business level, thus achieving a quality working life both for all workers, native residents or migrants, and for the business community that will be left with protectionist economic measures.
3rd
Regarding the environment and maintenance of public roads, Mr. President José Carlos Rolo presented a document with the distribution of tourist flows throughout the Albufeirense municipality. However, Paolo Funassi warned that although these ideas all seem very interesting from a social and economic point of view, the Parishes of the Municipality do not have due support from the Albufeira City Council in order to be effectively attractive to their visitors and pleasant for its residents. As an example, the lack of maintenance and cleaning of the verges and edges of the streets was mentioned, where any resident or visitor can notice a failure to clean and cut the weeds that proliferate everywhere in the Municipality. He also highlighted the fact that there is a need to improve traffic in order to avoid the passage of trucks in inappropriate locations, especially in the interior of the Municipality, as well as to avoid traffic jams in areas with greater urban affluence.
Such topics were brought to the Municipal Assembly because Paolo Funassi, in constant contact with the resident and business population, detects that there is great dissatisfaction on the part of everyone in the face of this traffic confusion, unsightly sidewalks and streets, not forgetting the difficulty of parking in the nerve center of the city and other crucial points. No less important, Paolo Funassi also highlighted the issue of poor garbage collection in a city that aspires to be the Capital of Algarve Tourism.
4th
The tourism that exists has only favored some business elements to the detriment of work with decent salary and working conditions, always remaining in a deficient seasonality. Therefore, the central economic activity of Albufeira benefits and enhances the enrichment of some, and the majority derive little benefit from the tourist activity in their land.
Furthermore, Paolo Funassi highlights that Albufeira cannot be reduced to tourist activity. Other areas essential for social and common life are forgotten by the existing Municipality and competent entities, highlighting health services that do not respond to the real needs of the population and its many visitors.
It was clear that the Algarve Political Commission of the ADN, constituted by its Coordinator Anabela Morais and Vice-coordinators Manuela Campos and João Simplício, and its coordinator from the Council Paolo Funassi for Albufeira, are attentive to all structural areas in operation or with potential for in order to respond to the disastrous consequences of Seasonality that Albufeira and the Algarve have. All of this comes from previous harmful administrations by the Municipality that did not take advantage of or develop the full potential that other economic areas, in addition to Tourism, will be an added value to in all aspects and if they are properly supported, developed, built and promoted at a local level, we will have a more prosperous Albufeira for all sectors, business, labor, tourism, education, health, in short, justice and social equity.
