The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport said on Friday in Ponta
Delgada that qualification is essential for the promotion of the Azores as a successful tourist destination.

"The promotion of tourism in the Azores should be mainly focused on the improvement of the quality of their tourism products," defended Vítor Fraga. The government official spoke at the presentation ceremony of the Festival "10 FEST Açores - 10 Days - 10 Chefs," stressing the need of providing "a tourism product of high quality.”

"We have a tourist destination that is clearly oriented to nature; however, the qualification of our tourism products is the main asset we have to offer to the tourists who visit us," the Regional Secretary stressed, adding that "one cannot think that the future and success of our destination will be assured by just focusing on nature tourism."

Vítor Fraga stressed the need of promoting "a tourist destination that inspires emotions and feelings" among those who visit the Azores, instilling on them the desire to return and, above all, to disseminate the good things we have to offer in the Region."

Following the guidelines established by the Government on the organisation of events that promote the Azores destination, the Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport announced that "10FEST Açores" is an event organised in partnership with "tour operators that have scheduled it to visit us." This event also counts on "the active collaboration of SATA and Atlânticoline that have provided a series of attractive fares so that tour operators may include this festival in their tourism offer, thus increasing tourism flows."

Vítor Fraga also challenged the Azores Hotel and Tourism School, the promoter of "10FEST Açores," to include this event, already in 2014, in a network of international food festivals and to extend it to other islands of the archipelago.

For the Regional Secretary, this festival has all the conditions to become part of a network of international food festivals; "we have the quality and the offer available to turn this event into a festival of reference not only at a local level, but also at national and international level."

"We must regard the Azores destination as a whole and these events have to be promoted not only on the island of São Miguel, but on all islands," the Regional Secretary stated, mentioning the existence of specificities in the regional tourism offer that "should be enhanced on each island."

According to Vítor Fraga, "quality has to be extended to all islands" in order to promote "the best the Azores have to offer" to those who visit the archipelago.