The president of the Casas Açorianas Rural Tourism Association, Gilberto Viveira, is calling for tourism in the Azores to maintain its identity and not succumb to greed, which leads to lower prices.

“One of the things I’m worried about is that we don’t lose our identity, because that will be reflected in the future. Just go to other destinations. In destinations where greed has dominated them, they have ended up degrading and losing their identity. The degradation of the price follows,” he said yesterday on the sidelines of the opening session of the association’s annual meeting, which is taking place in Velas, São Jorge.

In his opening speech, which set the tone for the discussion on the sector’s direction, Gilberto Vieira recalled the time it took for synergies to form but gave a positive assessment of the outcome.

“I’d like to say that we’ve stayed the course so far. Not without mishaps, a few mistakes, but in essence the goal and the passion that drives us,” he stressed.

Questioned on the sidelines of the event, the president of Casas Açorianas defended the fact that rural tourism accommodation in the Azores has managed to maintain its quality and identity, but tourism in the region has to “start cutting corners”.

“The identity is maintained, but there is starting to be some pressure from other types of accommodation that end up trying to lead people to a certain ease, which can adulterate and have negative consequences,” he warned.

Gilberto Viveria said that seasonality eased in 2024, returning to pre-COVID-19 pandemic values, but he argued that “we need to be careful” so as not to “get carried away.”

“The pandemic has aroused interest in places with these specific characteristics, which allow for some quality of life and some preservation,” he stressed.

At the opening session, the mayor of Velas, Luís Silveira, also argued that it is necessary to “define the direction of tourism in the Azores” and ensure that those who live on the islands continue to want to receive tourists.

“We have to start selecting, understanding what kind of tourism we want on the island [of São Jorge] and realizing that we don’t want mass tourism, we want sustainable tourism, which leaves less of an environmental footprint, more added value and that the people who receive tourists in the territories see them as an asset,” he pointed out.

For Luís Silveira, the destination’s high season “is already sold in itself”, but we must “work to reduce seasonality”.

“It’s so nice to do a trail with fog or dew. What’s needed is that we then have the conditions to welcome tourists. We need to have complements,” he said, revealing that the municipality recognizes a lot of work to be done.

“It used to be unthinkable to see tourists in São Jorge in February, January, December or November. Today we do, but not as many as we want at this time of year,” he revealed.

Décio Pereira, the mayor of Calheta, argued that the island’s identity must be ensured and that it must be more rigorously publicized.

“I think the big point we need to think about for the future is safeguarding our identity. That’s what sets us apart at the moment and that’s what has to set us apart in the near future,” he said.

Carina Barcelos is a journalist for Diário Insular, and José Lourenço is the director.