The president of the Portuguese Tourism Confederation (CTP) told the President of the Government on Tuesday that businessmen in the sector feel that the Government has forgotten “the engine of the economy”, with support measures that have not arrived or are insufficient .
This position was conveyed by Francisco Calheiros in the opening speech of the 6th Tourism Summit, on the occasion of World Tourism Day, in Lisbon, where the Prime Minister, António Costa, was also present.
“Mr. Prime Minister, allow me to tell you a little about the sentiment of the tourism business associations today: It gives the idea that they forgot about tourism, they forgot about the engine of the economy“, said the president of the CTP.
Francisco Calheiros recalled that the confederation he heads was one of the first to congratulate himself on the support measures for companies announced by the Government at the start of the pandemic, as well as the first to congratulate himself on the absolute majority achieved by the PS in recent Parliamentary election.
“Unfortunately, most of the measures announced by the Government to support companies have either not arrived or are insufficient”considered the president of the CTP, referring also to the recently announced support measures for companies to combat inflation.
The official defended that the Government “can and should go much further” and that companies need more than “specific palliatives”, highlighting the need for fiscal measures.
Regarding the new airport, Francisco Calheiros stressed that this is an issue that “cannot continue” to be decided.
“We have to decide and now. We ask that, having this absolute majority, they use it”, urged the president of the CTP, recalling that The indecision about the new airport already has a cost of at least 7,000 million eurosaccording to a study commissioned by the confederation.
Highlighting the good results of Portuguese tourism in the summer, which in indicators such as overnight stays and number of guests has already exceeded those of 2019, the best tourist year in the country, Calheiros stressed that “without very clear support from the Government to face the perfect storm because we went through”, aggravated by the war in Ukraine, “it will be much more difficult” to fully recover the companies, weakened by the pandemic.
“But let the most careless ones be deceived, we will be available to validate agreements that are not properly discussed in the social consultation,” said the official, recalling what happened with the Decent Work Agenda, which, for the CTP, was approved through “political agreements with detrimental matters” for companies.
Source: Observadora
