New strategy presented to a full house at town hall
Albufeira has presented a strategy to attract new tourists and establish itself as “the best Sun and Sea tourism destination in Portugal” while also diversifying what it has to offer tourists.
‘Albufeira is part of your life’ is the name of the study which was presented to a full house at town hall on Tuesday, April 9. In attendance were local councillors, presidents of the Algarve’s biggest tourism, business and hotel boards and associations such as RTA, AHETA, APAL and NERA, as well as the director of Faro Airport.
As local mayor José Carlos Rolo summarised, “sun and beaches should continue to be the main focus of our tourist activity.” What he believes needs to change is the perception that Albufeira is just a summer destination. “Albufeira has all the conditions to grow and improve its tourist offerings throughout the year, therefore the need for a diagnostic and a concerted strategy to achieve this,” Rolo said.
It’s no secret that many in Portugal and abroad view Albufeira mostly as a haven for nightlife and drunken stag and hen parties. The town’s Oura district, in particular, is notorious for frequent bouts of drunken violence and disturbances. However, as the council points out, the municipality is also home to the Algarve’s largest number of five-star hotels and fine dining restaurants.
This dichotomy poses the kind of challenge that Albufeira wanted to address by ordering the ‘Strategy of Development, Promotion and Attraction of tourists to Albufeira’ study from the Portuguese Institute of Tourism Development (IPDT), devised to be followed until 2030. The study started by carrying out a diagnosis of the situation, based on several interviews with councillors, residents, business owners, international operators, and representatives from the tourism sector, after which a tourism development model was created, complete with an “action plan with relevant measures”, and a “marketing policy” to reach tourists of “added value”.
The study also divided Albufeira’s biggest challenges into five categories, starting with its “notoriety” as a “mass tourism destination” known for its “nightlife”. The municipality’s “seasonality” is also singled out as an issue to address due to the high number of businesses that close outside of the busy summer season and its “volatile work market.” Up next is its “strong dependence on the UK” and its inability to truly establish itself in other “markets of high potential,” followed by the “concentration of tourists” in parishes such as Albufeira and Olhos de Água which are already reaching their limit. Last but not least are the concerns of the “local community”, which shows signs of “discontent” and does not always “recognise the benefits of tourism.”
This led to the setting of several objects for the future of Albufeira: becoming the best tourism destination in Portugal, as well as a top destination for Europeans looking for short or long breaks. The borough also wants to be “recognised internationally for its beaches and variety of tourism activities and as a leading destination for nighttime entertainment in Portugal, while at the same time being able to train and maintain “the best professionals in the sector.”
To do this, six “strategic goals were set”: “reverting/demystifying the widespread image of Albufeira as a mass tourism destination”; organising what it has to offer into “tourist clusters to meet the profile of the visitors we aim to attract”; creating conditions for each cluster to remain dynamic throughout the year; reducing dependence on the British market by increasing the “capture rate of markets with growth potential”; generating “economic and social value” through tourism by “attracting residents and developing and retaining qualified human resources”, and elevating Albufeira to the level of an internationally-leading sustainable tourist destination.
Albufeira believes it can do this by improving its infrastructures with help from both the government and private businesses, and by highlighting what makes it special. This includes its long experience in tourism, its “premium” selection of places to stay and eat, “having the best beaches in the world”, its unique culture and nature, “vibrant” nightlife, and lots of things to do for families. The mayor thinks that if the municipality can do this well, it will make Albufeira stand out from other places and attract more visitors.
José Carlos Rolo has also highlighted that “this is not a finished document” and may still undergo changes based on a plethora of unforeseeable factors.
