Azores Situation Report Wednesday 23rd April 2025

Five people died on Azorean roads in the first ten months of 2024

Data from the National Road Safety Authority shows that, between January and October last year, there were 574 accidents with victims in the Azores, 9.3% more than in 2023, resulting in five deaths

In the first ten months of 2024, five people died on Azorean roads at the scene of the accident or on the way to hospital, three more than in the same period in 2023, when there were only two fatalities.

The data is included in the October 2024 24-Hour Accident Report, carried out by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR).

According to the document, between January and October of last year, 574 accidents with victims were recorded in the Region, an increase of 9.3% compared to the same period in 2023, when there were 525 occurrences.

These accidents with victims resulted in 86 serious injuries and 654 minor injuries, which represents a decrease of 7.5% (93) and an increase of 8.1% (605), respectively, compared to the same period in 2023.

ANSR adds that compared to 2019, the year defined by the European Commission as a reference “for the purposes of assessing the evolution of road accidents during the current decade”, there were 71 more accidents with victims, one less fatality, 12 fewer serious injuries and 74 more minor injuries.

• Total national data on road accidents: In the first ten months of last year, 405 people died on Portuguese roads, 16 fewer than in the same period in 2023.
• Accidents and injuries: Between January and October 2024, there were 31,633 accidents with victims, resulting in 405 deaths, 2,304 serious injuries, and 37,081 minor injuries.
• Comparison with 2023: Compared to the same period in 2023, there were 882 more accidents (+2.9%), 16 fewer fatalities (-3.8%), 46 more serious injuries (+2.0%), and 1,048 more minor injuries (+2.9%).
• Accident conditions: The majority of the 30,226 accidents with victims recorded between January 1 and October 30 occurred in good weather (82.1%) and within towns (79.2%).
• Districts with most accidents: Lisbon (6,317), Porto (5,262), and Braga (2,741).
• Fatalities: Of the total of 392 fatalities recorded on the mainland, 288 were drivers, 45 passengers in the vehicles involved in the accident, and 59 pedestrians.
• Data limitations: The National Road Safety Authority does not provide detailed data on road accidents in the autonomous regions.

Third suspect arrested for homicide in Ponta Delgada

The Judicial Police (PJ) arrested this weekend the third suspect in the qualified homicide of a 40-year-old man, on Wednesday, in Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, that police force reported.

According to a statement from the PJ, the third suspect “was hiding in a cave, on the coast of Ponta Delgada, where he was detained”.

The two other suspects, aged 41 and 45, were arrested on Thursday and were remanded in custody.

According to the PJ, the night before the crime, the victim and the three attackers “were inside a space closed to the public, illegally occupied by homeless people, where they consumed synthetic substances”.

The attackers “may have developed the perception that the victim intended to appropriate property belonging to them, which led to a concerted act of aggression”.

“Armed with blunt and sharp instruments, the suspects inflicted lethal injuries on the victim’s torso, which would eventually cause his death,” stated the PJ.

The detainee appeared in court this Monday, which also ordered his preventive detention.

Navy coordinates rescue of man northeast of São Miguel Island

The Navy coordinated, on Sunday, the medical rescue of an 84-year-old man who was on board the cruise ship Mein Schiff 3, about 180 nautical miles (315 kilometres) northeast of the island of São Miguel.

The rescue of the German man, who presented a clinical picture of acute myocardial infarction, requiring urgent hospital medical care, was carried out in conjunction with the Urgent Patient Guidance Centre – Maritime (CODU-MAR) and the Air Search and Rescue Centre (RCC Lajes).

According to a statement from the Navy, the rescue was carried out by the Portuguese Air Force’s EH-101 helicopter and the patient was later transferred to a hospital unit in São Miguel.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 16th April 2025

Northeast Council admits to applying tourist tax from May

The municipality of Nordeste, the only one on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, that is not charging the municipal tourist tax, expects that the collection may go ahead in May, announced the mayor

Four of the six municipalities of São Miguel began charging a tourist tax in January, a procedure that, contrary to what was initially planned by the association of municipalities, was delayed in Nordeste and Povoação, a municipality where the situation has already been regularized, and the tax is being charged normally.

The tourist tax costs two euros per day for a maximum of three consecutive nights. For camping and caravanning, the amount is one euro per person, per night.

Immigrants receive Portuguese course certificates

Eighteen immigrants living in the municipality of Horta received qualification certificates for Portuguese for Speakers of Other Languages ​​courses last week.

The initiative, promoted by the Horta City Council, in partnership with the Regional Directorate for Communities, was attended by 18 citizens from 12 countries: South Africa, Germany, Argentina, China, Philippines, Gambia, Great Britain, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Russia and Venezuela.

At the certificate awarding session, held in the Salão Nobre dos Paços do Concelho, the mayor, Carlos Ferreira, reaffirmed the fact that Faial “is the most intercultural island in the archipelago”, with 934 foreign citizens residing there.

Banana from the Azores with Geographical Indication designation

The banana produced in the Azores archipelago has been recognized with the designation of Geographical Indication, within the scope of the process that aims at its classification as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), revealed the Regional Government

According to an order from the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food of the Azores published in the Official Journal, “under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No. 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024, protection is granted at national level to the name ‘Banana dos Açores’ as a Geographical Indication, with effect from 3 April 2025, the date of submission of the application for registration to the Commission”.

The regional secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, explained that the ruling means that at a national level “there was no opposition from any region, from any entity, to the Azores having this Community legal qualification” attributed to the bananas produced in the region.

“The process now goes to the European Commission, so that the European Commission, at a global level, can also issue an opposition notice, that is, to see if there is any country that opposes this legal qualification,” he added.

In this way, António Ventura indicated, the first step has been taken towards the classification of Azorean bananas as a PGI product.

“We [Regional Government], together with producer organizations, prepared the specifications, a manual that states that this agri-food product is the result of the soil and climate conditions of the Azores and the work of the people,” he highlighted.

Bananas from the Azores “have different organoleptic characteristics to other bananas produced worldwide”. “And it is this difference that we want to certify at the level of a globally recognised certification from the European Union, which are the PDO [Protected Designation of Origin], PGI [Protected Geographical Indication] and TSG [Traditional Specialities Guaranteed] products”, he reported.

The minister described that the Azores have 10 community qualifications already attributed to agri-food products (seven PDO and three IGP). The banana (IGP) will be the 11th and three more PDOs are in preparation (melon from Graciosa, turnip and lamb from Santa Maria).

“These qualifications, in addition to recognizing people’s know-how in relation to soil and climate conditions, also have an economic aspect that allows us to provide consumers with a product with unique conditions,” he said.

Banana certification “is in an advanced and terminal process” and the other three products are in the specification booklet preparation phase.

He said that the classification of Azorean bananas as a PGI product will allow for their economic value and the development of the sector: “With this, we believe that there will be more demand, at national, regional and European level, for this product of ours”.

In January this year, the Cooperativa Agrícola Açoreana de Hortofloricultores said it was working on the IGP classification of bananas to promote sustainable growth in the sector and “guarantee the quality of the product”.

The president of Frutaçor, Carlos Araújo, has said that the cooperative intends to “register the banana from the Azores as IGP with the aim of promoting the sustainable growth of the crop and guaranteeing the quality of the product, creating a strategy to win over and retain customers who identify it as IGP banana, giving it notoriety”.

Bananas from the Azores are of the species ‘Musa acuminata Colla’ and ‘Dwarf cavendish’ (commonly known as small dwarf) and are produced in delimited geographical areas outdoors, mostly under dry farming conditions.

According to the president of Frutaçor, they have different characteristics from others produced worldwide, as they are “smaller, sweeter, with a soft texture and an intense and pleasant aroma” when ripe.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 9th April 2025 

Atlânticoline cancels sea trips between Corvo and Flores on Tuesday

The passenger and vehicle maritime transport company in the Azores cancelled yesterday’s sea trips between the islands of Corvo and Flores, due to adverse weather conditions for navigation, with the trips being resumed today.

Atlânticoline reported, in a statement published on its website, that it had cancelled the Linha Rosa trips scheduled for Tuesday between the islands of Corvo and Flores, in the Western Azorean group, “due to adverse weather conditions for navigation, namely the intensity of the wind and strong waves”.

Travel between the two islands will resume on today at the same time, he said.

The company “thanked passengers for their understanding” and regrets any inconvenience that the cancellation may cause.

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has extended the yellow warning due to rough seas for the islands of the Western group of the Azores until yesterday.

The islands of Flores and Corvo are under a yellow warning, due to rough seas (waves from the southwest, changing to the northwest), until 08:00 local time (another hour in Lisbon) yesterday.

On the islands of the Central Group (Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial) the yellow warning, also due to rough seas (waves from the southwest, passing to the west), is in force until 23:00 local time today.

Support for displaced patients with 1,009 users since September

The Displaced Patient Support Service (SADD) in Lisbon received 1,009 users between September 2024 and March 2025.

From 80 users received in September, the number of users, in March 2025, reached 185, with a total of 1,009 patients and 2,030 companions already welcomed in the protocol accommodation (Rua dos Anjos), which can receive 12 people in six rooms, including patients and companions, simultaneously, with cots for babies and children.

The regional secretary for Health, Mónica Seidi, quoted in the note, admits that “the fact that the accommodation is consistently full proves that it is a practical solution and that it serves users well” and the numbers “reflect that the investment made in these facilities was necessary and is being very well used”.

SADD provides not only accommodation but also a transport service between the hospital, the airport and residences.

Terra Nostra Park thermal pool reopens to the public

The thermal tank at Parque Terra Nostra reopens on Monday, April 7, after works on the surrounding area, water recirculation and coverings, with a view to improving the experience for visitors.

The renovation of the space was carried out considering the historical importance of the park, its natural beauty, the environment and its tourist interest.

In a statement sent to newsrooms, the Bensaude group, owner of Parque Terra Nostra, states that this reopening “marks a new phase, in which tradition is combined with modernization, in harmony with the high standards of natural preservation of Parque Terra Nostra”.

The interior of the tank has been refurbished with a new coating to optimise user comfort and well-being. In addition, four new water inlet spouts have been added to the two already existing ones.

The modernization of the tank also included the implementation of a maintenance system through forced recirculation of the entire volume of thermal water, to “promote more efficient and sustainable management, without altering the idiosyncrasy of the waters”, the statement states.

Tickets for access to the thermal tank will once again be available at the park entrance and online from Monday, April 7th.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 2nd April 2025

Azores sees second-highest increase in tourism among Portuguese regions in February

The tourist accommodation sector registered 1.8 million guests (+0.6% 2 ) and 4.2 million overnight stays (-2.5%) in February 2025, generating 287.7 million euros in total revenue and 208.8 million euros in revenue from accommodation (+4.0% and +3.4, respectively). Overnight stays by residents decreased by 0.8% (+11.0% in January), reaching 1.4 million, and those by non-residents decreased by 3.3% (+3.9% in January), totaling 2.8 million.

The largest decreases in overnight stays were recorded in the West and Tagus Valley and Greater Lisbon In February, the regions recorded distinct trends in overnight stays, with the largest increases being recorded in the Setúbal Peninsula (+7.8%) and the Azores (+5.1%).

The West and Tagus Valley recorded the largest decrease (-7.1%), followed by Greater Lisbon (-5.6%) and the Algarve (-5.1%). Overnight stays by residents recorded the most significant increases in the Madeira Autonomous Region (+13.6%). The largest decreases occurred in the West and Tagus Valley (-10.4%) and the Algarve (-8.1%).

Overnight stays by non-residents recorded the largest increases in the Setúbal Peninsula (+16.7%) and the Azores Autonomous Region (+15.3%). The largest decreases were recorded in Greater Lisbon (-7.2%) and the Centre (-6.5%). – Data from the National Statistics Institute.

Ponta Delgada traders have “good expectations” for the new tourist season

Ponta Delgada on the list of Portuguese cities where there is the greatest demand for housing by foreigners outside the European Union

Foreigners living outside the EU – such as Brazilians or North Americans, for example – lead the search for houses for sale in Portugal in 15 major cities. In Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, seven out of every 10 foreigners interested in buying a house in our country live outside European borders.

The proportion of international visitors from outside the EU is also higher than 64% in Braga, Coimbra and Viseu.
According to Idealista, most of the international demand for houses to buy in Porto also came from outside the EU (60.4%), as well as in Lisbon (60.2%), according to the same data from idealista/data for the last quarter of 2024.

In Faro, Portalegre, Guarda, Viana do Castelo and Bragança, foreigners living in EU countries were the ones who most sought houses to buy in Portugal.

What is also observed is that, in the last year, there has been an increase in demand for homes to buy by non-EU residents in 11 municipalities, such as Bragança, Porto, Funchal and Lisbon. The evolution of their interest remained practically unchanged in five large cities (Braga, Setúbal, Santarém, Vila Real and Viseu). And it fell in Guarda, Leiria, Ponta Delgada and Castelo Branco