The president of the Associação de Alojamento Local dos Açores (ALA), João Pinheiro, warned this week that the sector is facing mounting challenges driven by seasonality and limited air access, and urged a more aggressive push to promote the Azores as a destination.

“We need to make a serious investment in marketing and position the Azores as a safe destination in an uncertain world,” Pinheiro said.

He was speaking at the opening session of the 4th Azores Local Lodging Conference, held on Pico Island.

According to Pinheiro, local lodging is going through “a demanding period,” with the low season growing “longer, harsher, and increasingly difficult to endure.”

“When more than half of local lodging units receive no guests at all during the low season, that’s not a strategic choice—it’s a clear sign of structural fragility,” he said.

Pinheiro pointed to several converging factors contributing to what he described as “a worrying outlook for 2026,” including global instability, the departure of a low-cost airline, ongoing uncertainty surrounding SATA Air Açores, and the lack of consistent investment in promoting the archipelago.

He also called for renewed attention to professional training and regulation in the sector, noting that the legal framework governing local lodging has not been updated in nearly a decade.

“The sector has evolved, the territory has changed, and today’s economic context is completely different,” he said.

Pinheiro argued that local lodging represents “the tourism model the Azores need,” emphasizing that it avoids mass tourism, spreads income among local residents, and supports economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

He added that local lodging has long since ceased to be a mere supplement to tourism in the Azores, now accounting for the majority of available beds across the region.

In Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director.

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