by nick
10. July 2009 16:03
Construction of new marinas can help regional growth and provide locals and visitors with excellent facilities. A study that was created to explore ways in which development could be encouraged in the Algarve has suggested that introducing new direct flight routes to and from Faro Airport along with the construction of more marinas would pave the way for fast-track regional growth.
The study proposes introducing new direct flights from Faro Airport to Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Stockholm, Vienna and Moscow as well as reinforcing the thirteen regular routes it hosts, mainly to the UK, Germany, France, Holland and Denmark.
It also suggests two or three new marinas would be beneficial.
Should these proposals materialise, the study calculates that by 2015 17 million people would visit the Algarve, 13 million of whom will be foreigners, the rest Portuguese.
This translates into an estimated revenue of €853 million, which would be an eight percent rise in comparison to what is anticipated for this year.
The first signs of improvement, if the study’s suggestions are to be followed, should be visible between 2009 and 2011, which could indicate a recovery from the economic crisis, followed by a period of stabilization.
Regarding the marinas it was recommended that at least one new marina should be located in the eastern Algarve where such infrastructures are fewer.
According to the study the Algarve pales in comparison to neighbouring Andalusia, in Spain, which has 42 marinas equalling 15,000 berths for boats. The Algarve has just four marinas and a total of 2,500 berths.
Source Portugal News on Line
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