In his near-empty pub in the Algarve in southern Portugal, Samuel Tilley is fuming that coronavirus regulations in his home country Britain are keeping tourists away, further jeopardizing an already gloomy summer season.
Normally full of tourists at this time of year, Vilamoura is quiet, leaving the bar staff at Tilley’s O’Neills with little to do, but cavilling over Britain’s resolve to leave Portugal on a list of more than 50 countries safe enough to go unrestricted.
“It was very shocking. I don’t think it makes any sense,” Tilley said, watching the insattentive and thirsty visitor who comes for a refreshing beer near the harbor.
“There are other wonderful people here in the Algarve and beyond and I think this resolution through the British government has hurt them.
Portugal was first praised for its immediate reaction to the pandemic, however, a persistent count of several hundred new cases a day concentrated in Lisbon and its surroundings over the more than two months has concerned domestic and foreign authorities, leading Britain and other European countries to impose travel restrictions on the southern European nation.
Last year, Portugal welcomed some 2 million Britons, 64% of whom head to the sunny Algarve, known for its sandy beaches and golf courses. Then, in 2020, only 92,000 Britons arrived in the region.
The hammocks are left empty and the lonely waiters stand in front of the restaurants with menus in hand, with no holidaymakers to communicate with.
“Before, there were so many other people that one was side by side,” Welsh tourist Nadine said as she strolled through Albufeira’s almost empty streets.
Eliseu Correia, director of EC Travel, a destination control company based in the Algarve, said that not being on the UK’s safe list had been devastating for his business, with a revenue drop of about 60% this year compared to 2019.
“It’s a great fortune for everyone, ” he said. “We didn’t have a source of income in March, April, May, JuneArray … so we counted on that.”
DOUBLE SILVER?
The British injected some 3.2 billion euros into the Portuguese economy last year and without this money, Algarve companies, which basically have the busy summer months to make ends meet, will find the property in a delicate situation.
The list, which allows holidaymakers to avoid 40 14 days when they return home, deserves to be checked until next Monday, but even if Portugal is included in the list, it may be too late.
“It is obvious part of the damage can’t be reversed,” said Eliderico Viegas, President of Algarve’s AHETA hotel association. “Many people have already opted for other destinations.”
On average, Algarve hotels, which are regularly completed in July and August, lately with only 40% occupancy, according to AHETA.
The Algarve saw its number of unemployed registered in June increasing to 231% compared to last year, from around 8,000 to more than 26,000 people.
Most depended on so-called seasonal works, which were eliminated by the collapse of calls and closures.
The government has acknowledged the Algarve needs urgent help, and announced on Tuesday it would spend 300 million euros to support its struggling economy.
Francisco Melo, who organizes boats along the coast, says his company earns 20% less than in 2019.
But there is a positive aspect in the tranquility of things, which he hopes will in turn bring tourists back:
“Things are complicated, but the sea is full of life, with dolphins, tuna, mackerel. We’ve never seen a sea like this before.
(This article was published from a firm thread without converting the text. Only the name has been changed).
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