The President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, participated in the CNN Portugal Summit—Portugal Tour, where he defended a tourism strategy based on sustainability and valuing the archipelago’s specific characteristics.
The event, dedicated to the theme “Segmentation and differentiated strategies for the territory,” was attended by various sector personalities, including José Santos, President of the Alentejo Tourism Region, Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon, and Rita Marques, President of the BTL Strategic Council and former Secretary of State for Tourism. The moderator was journalist Pedro Santos Guerreiro from CNN Portugal.
The leader of the regional executive stressed that the Azores have been an international benchmark for sustainable tourism, being the first archipelago in the world to achieve this distinction.
He also pointed out that the region has been classified as the best adventure destination in the world for two consecutive years, reinforcing the archipelago’s global recognition.
According to a study by EY, tourism has had a remarkable impact on the Azorean economy. It accounts for 17% of regional GDP and contributes 19.6% of Gross Value Added (GVA). In addition, 16.6% of regional employment is linked to the sector, reflecting significant growth.
“Quantitative growth must be growth that boosts and exponentiates qualitative growth,” said José Manuel Bolieiro.
He also advocated sustainable and balanced tourism development.
José Manuel Bolieiro also highlighted the 27% increase in the number of overnight stays and passengers disembarked and a 46% increase in the income generated by tourism, demonstrating the positive evolution of the sector.
He pointed out the need to improve inter-island accessibility and strengthen air connections, guaranteeing an offer that respects each island’s identity and vocation.
“We have to identify our vocations and empower them,” he said, referring to the diversification of the tourist offer to boost regional development.
Another challenge highlighted was seasonality, which, despite being a structural feature of the tourist industry, can be mitigated through strategies that better distribute demand throughout the year.
“We are a year-round destination, with excellent conditions for long vacations or shorter visits, with fast and regular direct connections to the European continent and the American continent,” stressed José Manuel Bolieiro.
The President of the Government of the Azores concluded by reinforcing the role of tourism as the “engine of the economy” of the Azores, stressing that the sector has a unique capacity to generate wealth, create jobs, and boost the development of all the islands.

14 companies, 30 routes, and 25 source markets

In Lisbon, Berta Cabral, the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility, and Infrastructure, presented the region’s tourism strategy and public policy for the sector’s development in the Azores, whose motto is “Tourism all year round on all the islands.”
The presentation was made during Better Tourism Lisbon (BTL), more precisely in the multipurpose area, where the Azores are in the spotlight until next Sunday.
She argued that the Azores “are today a destination of choice” and that the sector’s growth in recent years is mainly due to the nature, sustainability, and authenticity of each archipelago’s nine islands.
“Our nature, on land and at sea, but also our human nature allows us to create and offer a differentiated product. On each of our nine islands, there are lots of experiences to discover and enjoy, each with its own specific characteristics,” she said.
Berta Cabral also said that the sector’s great success was due to the liberalization of airspace, which strengthened the region’s connectivity, and to the tourism development policy of the Government of the Azores, which has made it possible to continually break records and surpass the best performance records year after year.
“We have the additional merit that the growth in revenue is higher than the growth in the number of overnight stays, which means that we are growing more in value and quality than in quantity. This is an indicator of the destination’s sustainability,” she said.
On the other hand, she announced that by the summer of 2025, the Azores will have 14 airlines with regular operations, covering more than 30 national and international routes. These airlines will directly connect São Miguel, Terceira, Pico, Faial, and Santa Maria to more than 25 source markets.


This connectivity is complemented by the inter-island connections operated by Sata Air Açores, which has guaranteed a robust operation and is always reinforced with extraordinary flights to take tourists and travelers to all the islands.
“This ability to attract and place tourists on all the islands has made tourism the sector with the greatest economic weight in the region, having a transversal impact on all the other economic sectors,” and is even ‘the main engine of economic development and job creation in the region,’ he said.
Underlining Destination Azores’ international recognition, Berta Cabral recalled the numerous awards and distinctions, highlighting the fact that the Region has reached the Gold Level of Certification as a “Sustainable Destination” and has been the “World’s Best Adventure Destination” for two consecutive years by the World Travel Awards.
To maintain and even increase this excellence, Berta Cabral safeguarded investment in the qualification of the destination and the product, including the improvement of tourist flow management and the development of innovative solutions, to “always providing an immersive and high-quality experience, relieving congestion at points with occasional visitation overload or particularly sought-after attractions.”
One of the solutions was the creation of 2023 of the ‘shuttle’ to access the Fogo Volcano in the high season, which has already allowed more than 100,000 people to visit in the high seasons of 2023 and 2024. Still, she said that the Government of the Azores is also “implementing a project for the intelligent monitoring of tourist flows, funded by the PRR, in order to collect data to make informed and sustained decisions for the management of the territory and dispersion of visitation.”
Regarding the main source markets, Berta Cabral said that the national market continues to be the main one, stressing that it is “extremely important to maintain a dynamic of proximity and attractiveness for this market.”
In addition to the annual presence at BTL, an investment she described as extremely important, she referred to the development of mechanisms to encourage domestic tourism, especially in times of lower demand, such as crises and low seasons, and to the Azores Tariff, which boosts inter-island mobility and Azoreans’ visits to all the islands.
Within the diversity of the nine islands, he highlighted the trails, which are the best-known products and the ones that allow for a unique immersive experience in nature. Since they can be enjoyed in winter and summer, they allow for a unique exploration of experiences and the history of the Azores.
The region has 88 small and seven large routes (over 30 km), totaling over 800 km on nine islands. These trails are marked with a special system that facilitates location, rescue, and help, promoting a safe experience for everyone.
The Regional Secretary also spoke about the Azores Routes – Cultural and Landscape Itineraries project, which allows tourists to take advantage of the rich cultural diversity of the nine islands and an unprecedented network of partners in the Azores, which provides knowledge of history and legacy.
On the cultural side, he referred to “Azores What’s On,” a digital agenda of events on all the islands. It aims to provide contact with popular festivals and cultural, sporting, religious, scientific, and thematic events, among others, of public and private initiative.
This digital agenda provides a schedule of events throughout the year and helps the Azores to be recognized as an attractive destination throughout the seasons, committed to sustainability, which is the region’s brand image.

in Diário dos Açores-Osvaldo Cabral, 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.