Albufeira to create Code of Conduct for local bars and nightlife spots
A case of public nudity in which several naked men were filmed on top of a bar counter in Albufeira’s Oura ‘strip’ has acted as the last straw for local authorities. The council has vowed to tackle drunken excesses, and the message is clear: “Albufeira is not a destination where anything goes”.
For decades, Albufeira has been known as one of the main destinations for nightlife in the Algarve. With dozens of bars and clubs, particularly on the famous Oura ‘strip’, and the region’s world-famous weather making it even more appealing to revellers, the town has gained popularity as an ideal spot for drunken stag and hen parties. A quick Google search for ‘Albufeira stag (or hen) party’ will result in dozens of websites offering special packages, often at inviting prices compared to other countries.
While this has undeniably attracted scores of holidaymakers over the years, especially from the UK, the reality is that it has also turned Albufeira into a tourist town where excessive behaviour has become the norm. From naked tourists tied to traffic lights, drunken rows, drug use and intoxicated people sleeping on the streets, the town has seen it all.
But earlier this month, one particular case of “excessive behaviour” – as the municipal council has put it – has acted as a tipping point for authorities.
A video of several naked men crawling on their knees in a line, on top of a bar counter in Albufeira, in broad daylight, resulted in eight British tourists being identified by the GNR.
Reacting to the case, Albufeira mayor José Carlos Rolo has vowed to tackle the problem and is now creating of a Code of Conduct for local bars and nightlife spots, particularly in the Oura bar district, known as ‘The Strip’ (Avenida Sá Carneiro).
“The recent behaviour of foreign holidaymakers prompted an emergency meeting convened by the municipal council with all security forces and associations in the tourism sector,” the local authority said, adding that “a meeting with the Minister of Internal Administration and the creation of a commission to develop a Code of Conduct” for local bars are the next steps to be taken.
The emergency meeting involved several entities and associations, including the GNR, the captain of Portimão Port, the Algarve Bartenders Association, and a wide range of tourism associations, including AHRESP Albufeira (Portuguese Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Similar Establishments), APAL (Albufeira Promotion Agency), ACALB (Albufeira Commercial Association), AHISA (Algarve Association of Hotel and Similar Industry), and APECATE (Portuguese Association of Congress, Tourism Animation, and Events Companies).
The ultimate goal is to urge business owners to “not allow this type of excessive behaviour” inside their establishments.
Cited in the local council’s press release, mayor José Carlos Rolo lamented that “the image of Albufeira is being tarnished by incidents like those occurring in bar areas, while in the rest of the municipality, safety and tranquillity have been consistently maintained, as shown by the annual influx of tourists, especially families, both foreign and Portuguese.”
While he says he understands “the need for social spaces and nightlife entertainment,” the mayor is “determined to limit the attitudes and behaviours” of tourists when they “go too far”.
Business owners need to be held accountable
Desidério Silva – a man with a long history of jobs “at the top”, which include being mayor of Albufeira between 2002 and 2012, and president of the Algarve tourism board (RTA) between 2012 and 2018 – now heads the Albufeira Promotion Agency (APAL), an agency tasked with promoting the municipality as a tourism destination.
Seeing the footage from Albufeira’s latest case of alcohol-fuelled rowdiness left him calling for a multi-faceted approach to these problems.
“Firstly, business owners have to be held accountable,” Desidério Silva told the Resident, explaining that they must be advised on the “negative consequences” that allowing such behaviour to take place can have on the destination. The creation of a Code of Conduct, which has been announced by the council, will be a first step in this direction, he said.
“There is also a serious lack of police officers, a situation that needs to be addressed,” the APAL boss said, warning that authorities must be on the ground to make sure rules are followed.
Silva also believes that a “major intervention” must be carried out in the countries where these rowdy tourists travel from, which should include meetings with airlines and tour operators.
“Some of the tourists who come here and act disorderly should be stopped much earlier on their journey,” he said, calling on airlines to be tougher with passengers who exhibit problematic or drunken behaviour.
“When we promote Albufeira, we are promoting the best it has to offer. But when we offer cheap travel packages geared at tourists with a lower spending power and more prone to this type of behaviour, we end up denigrating the image of the borough,” Silva continued.
“Our municipality is too big and too important for this to happen. We cannot have groups that account for 2% of our overnight stays blemishing our image,” he added.
“We’ve hit rock bottom”
Paolo Funassi, an Italian based in Albufeira who has become known for creating popular Facebook groups such as ‘Estrangeiros/Foreigners Algarve’ and ‘Albufeira Paradise’ and is also the coordinator of the ADN political party in Albufeira, believes that the municipality has “hit rock bottom”.
“The degradation of Albufeira continues and every year it is getting worse,” Funassi told the Resident, adding that the Albufeira brand is being destroyed.
“Even Portuguese people who come on holiday to Albufeira are becoming too embarrassed to say so. They will tell people they are coming to Santa Eulália or Falésia, the names of local beaches, to avoid saying Albufeira,” he said.
The lack of policing is one of the main issues that Paolo Funassi believes needs to be addressed.
“I am a resident who actively participates in our nightlife, I go out to bars, and I see that there are no police officers in sight. Dealers try to sell drugs in plain sight and police are nowhere to be seen,” he lamented.
He also believes that the local authority is complicit in the proliferation of stag and hen party packages, stressing that “they wouldn’t exist” if there weren’t the backing of local authorities.
“This gives off the impression that anything is allowed to happen in Albufeira,” Funassi added.
He also criticised the local council for only now announcing the creation of a Code of Conduct, accusing the current and previous administrations of having never acted in the past to address these issues.
“This Code of Conduct will not be enacted, as there are no authorities in Albufeira to enforce the rules,” he warned.
