Under the Regional Legislative Decree no.18/2005/A, the Regional Government has decided to increase the global allocation for the support to the development of tourist activities and the promotion of the Azores destination by entities, associations or individuals; this year's budget was set at approximately 1.2 million Euros.

The Regional Secretary of Tourism and Transport stressed that this amount, which represents more than 5% compared to last year, is intended to "foster and boost the development of tourist activities and the promotion of the Regional, directly and indirectly, particularly during the low and medium seasons. This goal will be achieved through initiatives with significant public interest so that they may actively contribute to the improvement of our tourism offer and the increase of tourism flows."

Speaking at the presentation of the 1st Azores Train Run to take place on Faial on May 24, the European Day of Natural Parks, Vítor Fraga recalled that Faial Natural Park has been distinguished as an EDEN destination (European Destinations of Excellence) by the European Commission.

For the Regional Secretary, this important award is "great honour for us and, more importantly, it motivates us to work even harder in order to consolidate our image as a sustainable tourist destination of excellence that combines the development of tourism with a deep respect for the environment."

"The development of tourism in the Azores is one of the main goals defined in the Programme of the XI Regional Government of the Azores," Vítor Fraga recalled, adding that the Government aims to "continue working to accomplish them day after day, together with all industry partners."

According to the Regional Secretary, the Azores have developed over the years "a consistent promotional strategy among key source markets." Under this strategy, "the promotional efforts are targeted at the market segments looking for a destination with a tourism offer as rich and diversified as ours."

Vítor Fraga said the last known indicators concerning the year 2013 "are encouraging." According to them, they demonstrate that "the behaviour of this sector in the last year is the reflex of all the work that has been developed, which gives us a clear indication that we are on the right track."

"Our goal is to continue following this path so that we may actively contribute to the sustainability of the sector," said Vítor Fraga.

However, the Regional Secretary warned for the fact that the development of the tourism sector is not "a task to be accomplished by a single entity"; it should be "the result of a joint work between all partners in this sector." In this context, the government official stressed the importance of "bearing these goals in mind and the path we want to follow."

"Therefore, the Regional Government will continue to conduct policies in order to accomplish these goals by creating an environment that generates confidence among all entities working with this destination," said Vítor Fraga.