By DAISY SAMPSON daisy.sampson@theresidentgroup.com
A large decline in the numbers of British visitors and residents to the Algarve, based on statistics from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and reported on in last week’s Algarve Resident, is partly due to changes in the collation of data, the British Embassy in Lisbon said this week.
However, the current financial crisis within the tourism sector was also said to be a major factor in the drop in numbers.
A spokesman from the embassy told the Algarve Resident: “We see this reduction in figures for British visitors to Portugal partly as a result of a change in criteria for collating data, and partly as a result of the impact of the economic crisis.
“It is very difficult to obtain correct visitor statistics in the EU, given the relaxation of border controls in member states. During 2008-09, we used a combination of sources to reach the reported figure. The main one was the Portuguese Statistical Institute (INE), which collates the numbers from registered tourist accommodation, but we also took into consideration airport, port and local tour operator figures to compensate for the numbers who stay in other types of accommodation or with friends/family.”
The spokesman added: “Given our constant concern to release accurate data, we decided to base our reports on just one source, the UK Office of National Statistics, who monitor the number of British nationals travelling abroad. Although we are conscious that this figure still does not provide the full picture, it seems to us to be as complete as possible without having to add to it from other sources.”
However, difficulties in the collation of data in this field do not account for the general drops in numbers.
The spokesman said: “It is also true that the tourism sector has been particularly hard hit by the international economic crisis. Everyone is operating in a tough economic climate, but despite this drop in visitor numbers, the number of consular cases has been maintained and the complexity of work has actually increased.
“For example, people have been taking shortcuts by not paying for travel insurance, and this is costing them in terms of stress and additional costs when things go wrong. This is why our consular network continues to expand its reach, for example with a brand new Hon. Consul in Faro, which will be formally announced in the coming months.”
DATA ACCURACY
Meanwhile, data in relation to the number of British residents in Portugal which, according to the FCO report, has seen the number of residents fall from 38,000 in 2009 to 30,000 in 2010, is also an area where accurate data is difficult to collate.
“British nationals living in EU Member States do not have to register at British Embassies. Our estimated figures are a mixture of statistics from the Portuguese immigration service (SEF), the UK’s Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the evidence from our contacts with the British community in Portugal. The IPPR apparently obtain their figures from various sources, including census and population survey figures. We are working on ways to improve our understanding of how many British residents there are in Portugal,” said the Embassy spokesman.
However, residents and visitors to Portugal will not have their consular services affected by reduced numbers.
“We can assure readers of the Algarve Resident that British Nationals in Portugal will continue to have access to the same support and consular services that we are committed to providing,” said the spokesman.
“We would like to take this opportunity to reassure readers that British residents in Portugal continue to be very important to us and we continue to support them with the help of our partners. It is also important to underline that we attach increasing importance to obtaining accurate data so that we can provide the services people need and in the right places.”
RESIDENCY STATUS
While the British Embassy is unable to ascertain just how far British resident numbers have fallen, other sources in the Algarve have seen patterns in business that would indicate a reduction in resident numbers.
Chris Stone from Direct Transport told the Algarve Resident: “I have been comparing the transport and general removals that we have been doing currently to that of 18 months ago.
“It comes as no surprise to see that we have seen a 45 per cent increase in the number of people we are moving out of Portugal, not only to the UK but to other European countries and also further afield. The number of full removals, suggesting relocation, into Portugal from the UK has fallen by 30 per cent.”
Statistics from Direct Transport also showed that cargo from the UK to Portugal is up by 50 per cent, which Chris Stone believes indicates that increasing numbers of expats are sourcing goods directly from the UK and also that commercial clients are maintaining a healthy movement of goods.
Chris Stone added: “I personally feel that we will continue to see a large number of people leaving the Algarve for a considerable time, as work is becoming increasingly hard to find and the cost of living continues to rise.”
Figures in relation to the number of British residents specifically in the Algarve are not available.
However, Michael Reeve, CEO of afpop, Portugal’s largest association of foreign residents, told the Algarve Resident: “One would assume that with the larger percentage of expatriates living in the Algarve that the effect would be most felt there, but this could of course be well off the mark.
“Perhaps the reduction of some offices and businesses in Lisbon who employ expatriate workers might have something to do with the reduction and it could also be that the people coming here are simply not taking up residency, so as those who are resident leave for whatever reason they are being replaced by expatriates who are not ‘in the system’ so to speak.”
Do you have a view on this story? Please email Editor Inês Lopes at ines.lopes@theresidentgroup.com
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