By INÊS LOPES ines.lopes@theresidentgroup.com
Followers of the Algarve Resident page on Facebook have been voicing their concerns over tax hikes and security in the region after the issues were put online for public scrutiny.
Dozens of followers spoke up about a government proposal to raise VAT for golf and restaurants next year and about a suggestion by an Algarve tourism leader to arm hotel security guards, following the latest hotel crime raid in Vilamoura (Algarve Resident, November 25 issue).
The vast majority of followers said they believed the Algarve would attract fewer tourists if the government went ahead with proposed VAT increases for golf (from 6% to 23%) and restaurants (from 13% to 23%).
Mary Onslow thought Portugal would be pricing itself out of the market if the tax rises went ahead while Tony Lee thought VAT increases combined with tolls on the A22 would “inevitably damage tourism once word got around. The coming year may not suffer too bad but the year after will be worse”.
Andrew James said: “I have owned a small villa in the west Algarve for 11 years and although I can afford to eat out, we tend to cook in now as the restaurant prices are higher than London and don’t come close to London quality.
“People with money know when they are being ripped off. It was so much better before the Euro. Things seemed to go up overnight when it was introduced. Thank goodness we will never have the Euro in England.”
Malcolm Maxwell thinks there will be fewer tourists to the Algarve because package prices will increase and golfers will find other destinations such as Turkey and Spain. Rosemary Ward added that her friends had already taken their golf elsewhere. “Turkey,” she said.
An Algarve fan, Karen McDonald, believes Portugal has to be careful it doesn’t increase costs too much as this will force some tourists to look elsewhere. “But give me the Algarve over Turkey/Spain any day!” Karen said.
On the other hand, Luís Casimiro believes tourists will not notice the tax and only the regular tourist will notice a slight increase in overall prices. He thinks tourists are more concerned about their own income.
Karen Waterman says the Algarve needs to be careful to balance the VAT tax against the income it receives from tourism. “There should be tax breaks for those involved in tourism,” she said.
Angus McLean is certain tourists will still visit, however, “with golf so much more expensive, they will have less cash to spend on other activities”. He thinks the average spend will remain unchanged but “the government will get a bigger share of the pie and small businesses will suffer”.
He continued: “The difficulty is the balancing act of boosting the government coffers through increased taxes and the Algarve remaining competitive in attracting tourists. There will be a tipping point when the Algarve, and Portugal in general, could price itself out of the market and tourists will take their golf clubs and appetites to more affordable alternative destinations such as Turkey.”
Armed security guards
A debate was launched last week between the president of the Algarve hotels and resorts association (AHETA), Elidérico Viegas, who suggested an alteration to the law to allow hotel security guards to be armed, and António Pina, the president of the Algarve Tourism Board, who disagreed.
When the Algarve Resident asked its Facebook followers for their opinion on the matter, the response was clear: hotel security guards should not be armed.
Natalia Pereira said: “What a nonsense question! I have worked in hotels in Portugal, the UK and USA and never ever heard of a security officer carrying a firearm! Hotels just need to invest in proper recruitment and training to all its staff in the various different departments not just security.”
Angus McLean thinks a solution to rising hotel crime should be the installation of CCTV in hotels. Ian Waller added that locking the doors after 8pm would “disallow random entry…it’s not rocket science”.
Mary Onslow thinks the sight of armed security guards will do nothing for tourism. “It will put people off rather than reassure them,” she said.
Paul Neaves went a little further by saying that the thought of it has “put me off already, Spain here we come”.
“Absolutely no way!” (Dan Delaney), “Definitely not!” (Chris Archer) and “Never” (Sally Ann Shafe) were the most common responses our question received.
Andrew James was alone in agreeing that hotel security guards should be armed.
We would like to thank our Facebook followers for their comments.
To follow us on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com and find us under ‘The Algarve Resident’, where you will be updated daily on news matters concerning the Algarve.
The page is an opportunity for followers to share their opinion by posting comments on stories.
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