Flanked by Portugal’s prime minister António Costa at Lisbon’s Feira International de Turismo (BTL) yesterday, economy minister Manuel Caldeira Cabral vowed his mission this year is to increase income from tourism in Portugal from the €11.3 billion recorded last year to a record €12 billion.
“Portugal is on track once again to have a record-breaking year in tourism,” he said as he launched a €60 million line of credit designed to power business investment in the sector.
The collaboration between Turismo de Portugal and “12 banking institutions” dubbed “Linha de Apoio à Qualificação da Oferta 2016” will be available to “privilege distinctive and innovative projects”, he explained, as the PM “zig-zagged” through the exhibition’s pavilions expounding on the virtues of private-public partnerships.
Talking to reporters, Costa said “good partnerships” such as this latest initiative will help tourism power the national economy.
“This is our mission,” he stressed. The State aims to work with the private sector to ensure tourism becomes “ever stronger and more attractive to investors”.
natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
