POLITICIANS AND business people in the Algarve have criticised the central Portuguese government for leaving the region out of important road, rail and transport investment projects.
Five years after the inauguration of the new link road between Almodôvar, Alentejo, and the Via do Infante motorway, which linked the Algarve to Lisbon, there is still a lack of public investment in the road and rail sectors.
Macário Correia, President of the Junta Metropolitana do Algarve, a regional Câmara organisation, said: “There is a feeling that the Algarve is always left until the end of the line. We were the last region to have a motorway to Lisbon and were left behind with rail connections.”
New links are being implemented from the capital to Galiza and Badajoz, however, the Algarve has been left out of these plans. Also, investment is required for much needed repairs on parts of the A2.
Elidérico Viegas, President of the Associação dos Hotéis e Empreendimentos Turísticos do Algarve (AHETA), the Algarve hotel and tourist resorts association, said: “The region has little political power and there is little recognition of the importance that tourism has on the economy. This jeopardises public investment.”
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