Ponta Delgada, Portugal, Aug. 7, 2026 (Lusa) - The Socialist Party in Portugal's Azores region (PS/Azores) on Friday warned that the «region is adrift» and criticised the «inability» of the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) to address the decline in tourism figures, arguing that the return of low-cost airlines should be a priority.
«The region is adrift when it comes to its tourism strategy, and proof of this can be seen in the signs already evident today and the risks this poses for the coming years,» said the parliamentary leader of the PS/Azores, quoted in a press release.
Berto Messias considered that the tourism figures «show a worrying reversal in the sector's trajectory», representing a «huge setback» for tourism in the region.
«We are taking a step back several years in tourism due to the Regional Government's incompetence,» he criticised.
In June, for the ninth consecutive month, the Azores recorded a fall in the number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation, with a 3.8% drop compared with the same period last year, according to data released on 31 July by the Regional Statistics Service (SREA).
The Socialist politician called for «greater resolve, proactivity and strategic vision» from the regional government and argued that the return of low-cost airlines and updating the strategic plan should be priorities for the sector.
«The return of low-cost airlines to the Azores, the implementation of an effective mechanism for attracting new routes, and a broad dialogue with sector partners to update the Azores' Strategic and Tourism Marketing Plan must be priorities for the regional government,» he argued.
Criticising the «inability» of the regional government, he emphasised that the «end of Ryanair's operations» in the region was a «very serious mistake» and lamented the «successive lack of clarity regarding the future of Azores Airlines».
Messias also highlighted the «slowness and lack of proactivity» in implementing the mechanism for attracting new routes, the «obvious imbalance in the provision of flights to and from outside the region», the lack of «dialogue with industry partners» and the absence of «clarity regarding an external promotion strategy».
«All of this means that one of the most important sectors of our economy is slowing down, right in the middle of the peak season – a situation that is completely contrary to what one would expect and which makes no sense whatsoever,» he insisted.
According to the SREA, in June, «across all tourist accommodation establishments (hotels, short-term rental accommodation and rural tourism) in the Azores, there were 506,400 overnight stays, a figure 3.8% lower than that recorded in the same month last year».
This marks the ninth consecutive year-on-year decline in the number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation in the region, according to the preliminary results for June.
In the first half of 2026, the Azores recorded 1.8 million overnight stays in tourist accommodation (-4.6%) and 578,400 guests (-3.6%).
In June, the region recorded 151,300 guests (-1.8%), with an average stay of 3.35 nights (-2%).
The decline in overnight stays in the archipelago runs counter to the trend observed at national level, as the country saw growth of 0.7% on average in June and 1.3% in the first half of the year, according to the SREA report.
RPYP/AYLS // AYLS
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