The connection between the fisheries and tourism sectors "is becoming increasingly relevant for the contribution to the development of our Region," said the Regional Secretary for the Economy in Ponta Delgada on Monday morning.
Luísa Schanderl spoke at the opening session of the seminar "The Improvement of Azores Fish," highlighting the strategy conducted by the Regional Government in the area of promotion so that "the environmental quality of the Azores and its image as Nature Region may also contribute to the external visibility of regional products."
The government official stressed "the importance of this connection" which is evidenced by the organisation of "an initiative recently developed in New England in order to promote regional products at Legal Sea Foods restaurant chain." "The success achieved, measured by the level customer satisfaction, and the opportunities that have emerged in the North-American market are a good example of how we can acknowledge the value of our products that are being increasingly sought-after by consumers for their specific features."
In this context, Luísa Schanderl recalled that the amendments introduced by the Regional Government in the incentive schemes were carried out with the purpose of strengthening the Region's export capacity and support regional companies facing today's challenges.
Regarding these measures, the Regional Secretary for the Economy stressed "the amendments introduced in the support to the promotion of Azorean products and the "Safe Quality" programme to support the implementation of food hygiene and safety programmes."
According to Luísa Schanderl, "these programmes demonstrate the priority status awarded by the Regional Secretary for the Economy in complying with regulations on food hygiene and safety in strategic sectors. The initiative is mainly targeted at the area of tourism, restaurants, and food industries, promoting the quality of goods and services as well as innovation. These areas are of utmost importance in the reinforcement of regional companies in terms of productivity and competitiveness.
"With the support system for the promotion of Azorean products, we intend to create conditions that could boost exports and strengthen the promotion of our products in external markets as well as to encourage exchanges between different islands, thus contributing to the decrease of imports," said the government official.
Hence, this system is not limited to the allocation of support in the area of transport. This specific incentive system may be very useful in helping companies to develop their products, carry out promotional campaigns, participate in fairs and define commercial strategies."