The first Praia da Vitória Economic Days, which took place on Saturday and Sunday, were marked by criticism of air connections and the maritime cargo transportation model that currently serves Terceira Island.
In the second panel of the conference, which took place on Sunday at the Ramo Grande Auditorium, Sérgio Martins, from the Azores Local Accommodation Association, said that air connections need to be strengthened so that the investment already made in the sector isn’t wasted.
According to the businessman, winter is a “major problem.” “We’re talking about airplanes. It’s going to be a severe problem. It’s not just local accommodation. Everyone around Angra and Terceira realizes what has opened up regarding hotels and restaurants. It’s impossible to pay salaries with such a long seasonality,” he said, calling for ‘extraordinary attention in terms of tickets, routes, and promotion of the tourist destination.’
In 2023, Terceira had 413 units of local accommodation; today, according to Sérgio Martins, it has 551, an increase of 33%.
“It’s a machine that has grown very quickly, but it’s a parallel problem, because there are already various types of local accommodation. There are those who have a grandmother’s house and make a part-time living out of it. The end of the season comes and the meters are turned off: that’s one scenario. But there are already a lot of people making a professional living out of this, with teams of several employees,” he pointed out.
He refused to “campaign politically” on this issue, but called for “common sense” and a strategy based on “harmonious development”.
“If we don’t pay attention to this, the government, who oversees these areas, is pushing some entrepreneurs to the edge of the abyss,” he said.
The businessman also said that more supervision was needed. “Local accommodation has been pointed out here and abroad as a major problem in the housing shortage. We, the association, together with our partners, already have some partnerships in terms of studies… We understand that bad local accommodation can be a bit of an obstacle, but that there has to be some common sense at a political level, because there is no monitoring at the moment, there is no official list of how many local accommodations there are,” he explained.
According to Sérgio Martins, “the association itself is better placed to present figures at the moment than, sometimes, the government itself.”
Another speaker was José Almerindo Costa, from O Pescador, who stressed the importance of air connections.
“Terceira Island has come a long way in terms of restaurants. We have many good restaurants, but we always have the problem of air transportation. Come winter, we could have an American and Canadian market where it’s cold. They could come here. It’s a different culture; it’s cheap; I feel that people like coming here but find it difficult to get here,” he said.
According to Sérgio Martins, the most attractive tourist markets from the perspective of local accommodation are the Dutch, Belgians, Italians, and Germans. “These are people who come here to go on tours, see whales and dolphins, and go out to eat. They come looking for new experiences,” he said.

Transporting goods
Leonel Homem, from Eniciale, who addressed the “Challenges of the Retail Trade”, argued in the same panel discussion that the current situation in maritime cargo transportation to Terceira is a “disgrace”.
“If we don’t have products, we don’t have anything. In maritime transport, it’s been a real disgrace lately. When the port of Ponta Delgada was under construction, we had a boat that came directly from the north to the port of Praia da Vitória. In Ponta Delgada, we see two boats being unloaded and another waiting outside. We don’t see any here,” he lamented.
The businessman felt that it would be essential to have a ship making the direct connection between the mainland and the port of Praia on a weekly basis and that some cargo shortages could be overcome. “If the ship loads on Wednesdays in the north and then goes to the south to load on Thursdays and comes directly here, can’t this be achieved?” he asked.
“What I can tell you is that things have been very difficult lately. The boats have been arriving on Thursday and Friday. Sometimes two boats arrive. The cranes, I think they often have cranes for both, but maybe they only have cranes for one,” he said, also pointing to shortcomings in land transportation and the fact that the containers go ‘all at the same time’ to the freight forwarders.
“We need the goods. Goods with a short shelf life, we need to have them in our possession to sell,” he said.
“I hope they look into this situation quickly, because this is a huge blow to our economy,” warned Leonel Homem.

Vocational education
The president of the Professional School of Praia da Vitória, Domingos Borges, stressed the importance of vocational education in providing “another outlet for young people” and counteracting school failure.
“It’s a different kind of education, because it seeks to meet the needs and interests of young people,” he stressed, assuring that ”success happens not because it’s made easier, but because people are more motivated.”
He advocated a “close relationship with companies”, but also adjusting the conditions offered to young people leaving for the job market.
In the case of hospitality, he pointed to working hours and public transport as factors that can also put off those who train in this area. “There’s a lot of talk about salaries, but it may not just be salaries, there may be other factors,” he warned.
According to the president of the Professional School of Praia da Vitória, other priorities should be articulating the professional education network in the region, safeguarding the quality of the courses, and providing vocational guidance in basic education.

Praia da Vitória Port – The Municipality calls for investment.

The mayor of Praia da Vitória, Vânia Ferreira, argued on Sunday, at the closing of the 1st Economic Days of the municipality, that the investments announced by the Regional Government for the port of Praia da Vitória are “urgent”.
“Both in terms of cruises and the transportation of goods. This infrastructure, together with the investments in Lajes airport, is a strategic asset for our development and in particular for our business fabric,” she stressed.
In Vânia Ferreira’s opinion, the Regional Government must move “from words to deeds”.
On another front, the mayor announced, among other initiatives, the holding of Expo Praia – Praia da Vitória’s Economic Activities Fair, in the first half of 2025.
“In partnership with the Angra do Heroísmo Chamber of Commerce, we will organize this fair that promotes our commerce and our companies, in a showcase that is very attractive to the people of Praia da Vitória,” she said.
Participating in the closing session was the regional director for Organization, Planning and Public Employment, Délio Borges, who considered that there is an “opportunity in the region, with the new Community Support Framework, in terms of investment”.
Délio Borges refused to allow the public administration to enter into “direct competition” with the private sector when there is a shortage of labor.
The regional director gave the example of the reduction of workers in occupational programs in the regional public administration since the end of 2020, from 1,400 to 300 at the moment. “The government understands that private enterprise needs manpower, it’s not the public administration that should be the only employer,” he said.

in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.