Madeira News Blog

This picture was taken at Lugar de Baixo marina yesterday evening. Despite earlier reports that the reopening was still a while away, it will in fact be open to the public again this afternoon.

(24th September). Today’s main news headline : ‘Câmara Of Santana Promotes [Staff] Continually -  On the eve of abandoning the presidency, Carlos Pereira gives spectacular improvements to workers’. After 20 years in Santana, the president of the council is on his way out, out of favour with the PSD-M leader and president of Madeira, Alberto João Jardim. One of the favours has now put a subordinate on a higher salary than Pereira himself. He has promoted 3 staff seemingly just to give them a higher salary. It’s legal, but raises some policy questions. In January, Carlos Pereira signed an order to allocate €79 thousand of the council budget of 2009, for "the purposes" of Contracts, Careers and Remuneration. Of this €53,500 was for movements within pay scales of 55 council employees, and €10,000 was for performance bonuses. Normally movements in pay scales work on a points system, but a council president has the power to override this. Legal or not, the deals are to be seen as an appreciation of the president at the end of his mandate, and a ‘hot potato’ left for his successor. 

‘Customs Strike Opens ‘Green Route’ In The Airport – Funchal Customs yesterday registered 100% participation in the strike. And there remain two days without control’. The three day strike started yesterday, leaving airport checks non existent in terms of customs activity. Two officers were on duty, in order to meet minimum service levels, but aside from that the strike achieved 100% participation. Airport baggage was going through unchecked, even that from ‘risk countries’. In the main offices in Funchal, just the boss, his assistant, two cleaners, and a telephonist were present.  

The main front page photo today shows a group of cops on the move : ‘Police From Here Complain To Lisbon – President of the ASPP in Lisbon say that they are already receiving denunciations from the police of Madeira about alleged attempts to pressure by regional political powers’. The police complain to their trade union in Lisbon, but there is no documentation to prove the allegations that political power is being used to apply pressure. Paulo Rodrigues, president of the TU, says Madeira is not the only case, as other police forces in Portugal suffer similar pressure and political interference in attempts to control the police. He stresses that security is not a regionalized responsibility, and that it is therefore an area controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), without any intervention permitted from the Regional Government. He cites as a very recent example, the order of president Jardim to the police, to stop the opposition PND political party entering Curral das Freiras, because he was attending an event there. "It is for the police not to fall into the trap of giving in to pressure", and if they are victims of exploitation, the union recommends that they make a complaint. The National Election Commission (CNE), commenting on the same case said "only for strict safety reasons that were concerned with public protection, could a political party be prevented from campaigning in a public place". A "landslide" could justify the conduct of the PSP in this situation, which, according to the PND, the party was prevented from campaigning in the Nun’s Valley. "I do not think that [landslide] has been the case, since there was no report of the evacuation of the Nun’s Valley", he added. He said he had not yet received a formal complaint regarding this incident, but had so far received 17 complaints relating to the national elections to be held here on Sunday. He expects that number to triple on Sunday. As regards the local elections on 11th October, he said 114 complaints had been received, with the PS socialists heading the count as complainers.

‘School Bus Pass Scalds In The Country And In The University’. This has been already covered recently on this blog, and is about the disparity in costs of bus passes for students, which seem to depend on several factors: social standing (financially), distance travelled, and the need for crossing between different bus zones.

In football : ‘Shalke 04 Waves €5 Million At Rúben Micael – The exit of the Nacional player in December seems inevitable’. The German club has already made an offer for the star Madeiran, and he could be on his way in January. Bit of a tenuous link here though, as Shalke are being financed through sponsorship by Gazprom, the biggest company in Russia and biggest gas supplier in the world, who are also the major shareholder in Zenith St. Petersburg, the club that Nacional knocked out of the qualifying game for the Europa League. The boss at Shalke has already raided Nacional once. Micael has already had a whacking pay rise at Nacional to keep him happy, after a Spanish club offered him 14 times his salary at that time. Even so, a move in the new transfer window is inevitable, with a number of clubs interested. Perhaps this is a move in revenge for the Europa League result, at a price which is pocket money for Gazprom, and without Micael, Nacional’s chances in Europe look even limper than they already are.

Madeira University has 47 student vacancies, 36 which were caused by students who were accepted for places but who didn’t register.

‘Caniço Is Going To Have A Garden And Sports Facility’. The problem of the lack of green areas and leisure in Caniço will soon be alleviated. The council of Santa Cruz has already secured the necessary investment to enable the construction of a city park, in the heart of the area. A considerable work, considered a priority by the current council president, and a ‘flagship’ in the campaign of the PSD social democrats in the area. The park will incorporate various courts for ball games, a multipurpose court, a children’s park, parking for 200 vehicles, a small cycle path, a mini golf ’space’, and a green area. The money for the work, €1.5 to €2 million, will be ‘publically’ released next week, but the exact location of the park is still a closely guarded secret. The population of the area has escalated from 12 thousand to around 28 thousand, in just 8 years, and as one Diário reader, Dimitrios, says in the comments : "After having transformed Caniço into one of the most horrible places in Portugal in terms of disorganised construction, only now they remembered to make a garden". I don’t think they even ‘remembered’ Dimitrios’, as it can be no coincidence that the câmara and local elections are just over two weeks away. Still if the money has already been secured, maybe that will not now be the election winner that the PSD in Santa Cruz are hoping, and any party can now jump on the same ‘city park’ bandwagon.

Gripe A swine flu has taken the first life in Portugal. The 41 year old man was actually an emigrant in France, on holiday in Portugal, but he died yesterday in a Porto hospital.

‘Service For Workplace Conflicts Already Received 12 Cases – The new body is a faster alternative for both trade unions and employers’. The Regional Service for Voluntary Resolution of Workplace Conflicts, was officially inaugurated yesterday, but even up until then had received 12 applications, 8 of which have been dealt with. The objective of the body is to resolve workplace problems without legal recourse. The service, which seems to be based on arbitration and compromise, can also refer cases to the courts if they remain unresolved, and can issue certificates of exemption for the court costs.

Some leftovers from yesterday, which was a huge newspaper :

(23rd September). The last of yesterday’s headlines : ‘Induction For The Rookies Starts Parties And Gatherings’. The ‘newcomers’ are already in the initiation routines, and between games and war cries the new students integrate themselves in the usual manner’. "The initiation has been quite good fun, and is not bad as many people think, we have our rights and duties", says one new students about the initiation of new students in the University of Madeira. The initiation period lasts a month, and aside from the fun element, is supposed to welcome the newcomers and make them feel comfortable in UMa with their new colleagues. on 14th October there is then a ‘baptism’ ceremony.

‘Government Order To Regulate Determination Of Career Progression – Teacher’s Union accuses the Madeira government of frustrating the expectations of teachers’. President Jardim had promised changes in the rules for teacher career progression, following the national changes that based progression on teacher evaluations (where Jardim bypassed the national scheme, by automatically giving all of Madeira’s teachers a blanket rating of ‘good’). Jardim criticised the national scheme, and said Madeira would be different, promising career progression. In effect what Jardim did froze the salaries of the teachers, leaving them untouched now since 2005. 

‘Foreign Doctors To Fill Gaps – The health service is considering hiring a Polish anaesthetist’. While there is still a shortage of doctors in some specialties, the Regional Health Service SESARAM may resort to foreign professionals. Miguel Ferreira, clinical director of SESARAM, has already announced the appointment of a doctor from Venezuela. The possibility of using more foreign professionals to fill gaps is a situation to consider in individual cases. "We can not hire 15 or 20 foreign doctors because we have to think of those internally who are currently doing the specialty", he added. Odd to hear that Madeira is actively seeking foreigners, well nearly. Must mean that all the political cronies already have their offspring employed in the top jobs, or is it that the hospital chief thinks that a spotty orange-tinted brain surgeon is just a step too far.

‘Image of Our Lady of Fátima in Madeira’. On the 12th October the Diocese of Funchal will receive the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fátima, where it will stay until the 18th, before going around to some of the other major towns, on a tour that will run through until May. Fátima is the home of the shrine called the Basilica, built to commemorate the events of 1917 when three peasant children claimed to have seen the "Virgin of the Rosary", Our Lady of Fátima. It was and still is a very important religious event in Portugal. Unfortunately the original photograph of the statue that I saw has now disappeared, but I managed to find another one to satisfy ones curiosity.

‘Number Of Cases Of AIDS Grows On Madeira’. The president of the association ‘Abraço’ announced the fact without giving any definite numbers. The charitable organization that supports AIDS / SIDA sufferers is trying to raise €500,000 to open a new support facility through a national campaign to collect and sell waste copper. The building has been made available in Rua da Carreira by the regional government, but a lack of funds has prevented the reconstruction and adaptation for 3 years now. Electrical cables and wires, telephone chargers, and computer parts containing copper can be donated through Dolce Vita shopping malls and Post Offices.

UPDATES :

‘Magalhães Not Finished’. The project to provide mini laptop computers to school children throughout Portugal is to continue. The announcement by the Minister for Education said the decision has been made, regardless of the election results on Sunday. Over 400,000 children already have the computers, which as well as serving as a teaching / learning aid, gives wireless internet access, and also allows the possibility of remote teaching in case a school is temporarily closed, or a child cannot get to school.

‘Construction restricted by falling demand – The engineering works are the only ones to record a positive change’. A spokesman for the national Federation of Construction said that housing construction in Portugal had fallen 25.3% in comparative quarters in a year. Unemployment from the construction industry was up 77.3% between July 2008 and July 2009.

A Cooperative in Portugal will next week launch internet shopping. Customers will be able to order their groceries on-line and have them delivered to their homes, with a minimum order value of €25 . The website is here, but it is not functioning yet : www.coopbeja.com I will be looking again on Tuesday, to see if they deliver to Madeira, but somehow I think not. Anyway, it’s a good sign (perhaps) of things to come.

‘Portuguese Economy Should Contract 4% – The estimates of Standard & Poor are not very cheering for the national economy’. The ‘rating’ agency also said the economy would contract 1.2% in 2010, owing to the continuing effects of the financial crisis and weaknesses at home. The report stresses that external competiveness is particularly weak, that levels of investment are stagnant, and that the private sector is highly geared. Well I need a new TV, so that might help a bit, and the freezer broke last down month too, but that will have to wait until I can pluck up the courage to look inside. Anyway, I wouldn’t take much notice of anything produced by a company called ‘Standard & Poor’, as if it was any good at what it was doing it wouldn’t be ’standard’ or even worse ‘poor’, now would it? I am think of starting a new venture next week, along the same lines, writing reports about country’s economies and finances, the name I have in mind is ‘Jolly Decent Yet Far From Rich’, and I reckon I can have S & P out of business in a month. Anyway, I just rolled the dice, and I predict the Portuguese economy will grow 18% next year (6 + 6 = 12, then a free roll for a double, 1 + 3). If you need a forecast for your favourite economy, drop me a line and you can have a special blog readers discount. I can only do positive forecasts mind, as I don’t have any dice with negative spots, so Americans, Brits and Spaniards, you are unfortunately beyond help.

No politics today, as I just can’t take any more!!!!!

(18th September). ‘English Tourist Celebrates 100 Years On Madeira’. I know there are many Brits visiting this website, so this is for you. Mary Luisa Latham celebrates 100 years today, and chose Madeira to celebrate her birthday. She comes from Norfolk in the UK, and has been coming here every year since 2000 for her six week annual holidays, always with her daughter aged just 80, and always in her favourite hotel, the Madeira Regency Palace. She is also a keen Casino customer here, and in Las Vegas, where she goes twice a year. To mark the occasion, the hotel has organised a ceremony for tonight (Friday) to honour her, where guests will be treated to a cocktail, music, and a birthday cake, to be shared amongst the guests. The telegram from the Queen of England, traditionally sent for 100th birthdays, will also be read out. 

‘Madeira Gourmet’ Of ACIF Brings Chefs Of World Renown – The first edition takes place between 3 and 7 November and aims to promote creativity and innovation’. Several world famous chefs have already confirmed attendance for the ‘Festival Madeira Gourmet’, an event organised by the chamber of trade and commerce of Funchal. The dishes to be created will reflect the place from where the chef comes from, and will be prepared in certain luxury hotels on Madeira., and served to visiting tourists, offering them a unique experience of high quality and refinement. A number of the chefs attending have been named, but Delia and Jamie are not amongst them, and I don’t recognise any of the others. I do a wicked cheese and mushroom omelette, but I can never get them out of the pan in one piece, so not much point in me entering.

‘71 litres of beer per year’. Each Portuguese person consumed on average 71 litres of beer, spending €310, in 2008, a year in which the brewing industry generated €1,020 million for the economy, maintaining 72,900 jobs. In a report by consultants Ernst & Young, entitled “The Contribution of Beer to the European Economy”, issued yesterday, it says that Portugal is the sixth largest exporter of beer in Europe. The study, based on 2008 data, also shows that the value received by the Portuguese state from the beers is €973 million, a contribution divided into €448 million in IVA (VAT) tax, €91 million in consumption tax (?) and €426 million in indirect taxes and Social Security. That doesn’t seem to leave much profit for the brewers, but who cares. 71 litres of beer each a year doesn’t seem much. I used to know people who would get through that in a couple of weeks, but I suspect that they may be dead by now.

(16th September). ‘Bank Complaints Rise 27%’. The number of customers complaining about their banks rose 27% in the first 6 months of this year.

The government of Madeira will compensate farmers whose grapes do not reach the minimum standards (grade). The weather conditions have hampered the ripening of the grape crop, worrying farmers that their produce may not reach the ‘minimum degree of alcohol’ needed for Madeira Wine and table wine. The compensation will be between €0.50 and €0.60 a kilo, depending on the destination for use. Another type of grape ‘Arnsburger’ will attract less compensation.

‘Building project thinking about the foreign investor – ‘Monumental Residence’ cost €10.5 million. The 2nd phase was inaugurated yesterday’. It looks like many other buildings in Amparo, Pilar and even Ajuda, but this new building near the Rotunda da Assicom, in Funchal, is built with the aim of selling the 55 apartments to external investors, foreigners, or even emigrants that want a second home on Madeira. Sales are going well according to a spokesman for the building, which also includes 9 commercial units. An average T2 apartment there will be in the price range of €175,000 to €200,000. "In relation to what is normal, these apartments are 25 or 30% more expensive than market prices". Why? And who chose that silly name?

The last of today’s headlines (for today) : ‘Siram Win Tender – End of year illuminations are judged. The lowest price was worth nothing, as proposed by ‘Inductora’. The Siram consortium ‘Luzosfera’, who have had the contract for Christmas and new year lighting and decorations in Funchal for many years, have been reawarded the contract, despite the entrance of an under bidder in the tender contest. The Regional Secretary of Tourism and Transport assessed the two proposals using a points system, and awarded the contract once again to Siram, who have been in the chair for 20 years unopposed. The two areas that swung the deal were experience, and creativity in the new proposal. The two year contract, worth €6.5 million, also includes the Carnival and Flower Festival. The Siram consortium is made up of six sub-holdings, being Luzosfera, Art of Sound, ‘Festival Factory’, Stage Madeira, Kevents, and Full Zoom. Original blog article with more detail HERE

Duarte Ferreira, Director at Madeira Airport, said: “The launch of this new scheduled route is extremely positive news for Madeira and will open up this beautiful region to many more visitors. The creation of this brand new link, especially at a time when other operators are looking to cut costs and services, plays such an important role for tourism in the region, benefiting the local economy and people working and living on the island. We hope that this partnership with Jet2.com will result in the opening of several new routes from the UK in the near future”. Talking about the Jet2 announcement that it is to commence a weekly scheduled flight from Manchester to Madeira May next year.

The cruise ship ‘Pacific Dream’ will be making its last visit here on Friday. At least there is no agreement made that signifies that it will be returning.

(13th September). The last of today’s headlines : ‘Santo da Serra Takes In Biomass Plant – Nutroton invests €22 million for energy production’. Nutroton Energy, whose CEO is an ex PSD president, will install the biomass plant in the parish to generate electricity. The decision was taken unanimously by Santa Cruz councillors, after a proposal by the majority PSD. As well as produce clean energy, the plant will bring prosperity to the area, provide new jobs, and reduce the environmental problem of disposal of poultry waste. The land needed will be transferred without cost from the council to the company. The plant will have a capacity of 8 MW.

It’s probably more theoretical than practical for most of us, but the natural gas market reaches the final stage of liberalisation at the end of this year, a time when we the domestic consumers can choose our supplier, an option that is already available to large consumers. The liberalisation of the market started in January 2007, with EDP and Galp dominating the market up until then. Switching suppliers will cost nothing, but as most of us on Madeira probably use bottled gas we will not see much impact, although the impact of liberalisation on gas pricing is yet to be seen.

(12th September). ‘Fund Doesn’t Thrive – Only one family on Madeira has signed up to the fund created to help those who can’t pay their monthly bank mortgage payments’. The central government created scheme was there to help families during the crisis who were in arrears with their mortgages, by allowing them to give up ownership, but pay rent instead, until times improved. The truth is that the results show that the Portuguese, and Madeira in particular, did not believe in this product, which allowed the ‘tenant’ the right to buy back their property until the end of 2020. The banks were not keen to get involved, being one problem, but the massive retreat in interest rates also made the whole scheme less necessary.

‘Construction Slows But It Doesn’t Stop – Home building registers the lowest fall in Portugal’. It is a significant statistic. Madeira is the region of Portugal with the smallest fall in the construction of domestic properties, signalling that the crisis has not hit as hard here in the construction sector. In the first two quarters of this year, 275 homes were licensed, a fall of 27.6%. That compares with falls of 69% in the Azores, the worst, 55% in the Algarve, and 54% in Lisbon. In 2008 the number of residential buildings on Madeira was estimated at 82,735, with the actual number of homes within those estimated to be 119,995. 32% of these buildings are located in Funchal, 16% in Santa Cruz, and 11% in Câmara de lobos.

(13th September). The count for visiting cruise ships continues to impress. 35 are due in Funchal next month, and another 100 are expected in the final two months of 2009. The three month period will see over 220,000 tourists arriving by cruise ship, by far more than any other Portuguese port. November alone will see around 100,000 visitors here (54 cruise ships).

(12th September). ‘Lobo Marinho Will Undertake More Journeys To Porto Santo In October’. An extra six crossings will be fitted in, with Porto Santo Line rejigging it’s schedule for the big Porto Santo weekend of 3rd to 5th October. High demand for that weekend will be catered for through twice daily trips on 2nd, 5th & 6th October. Monday 5th October is a public holiday, and many Madeirans want to make a long weekend break on the golden island.

(11th September). The last of today’s headlines : ‘Fisco Recovers €12.2 Million In 7 Months – The Madeirans flee less from their financial obligations but the coerced revenue increases’. The treasury is benefiting from citizens feeling more inclined to pay their taxes, despite financial difficulties in families and businesses. More effective collection and checking from the Regional Directorate of Fiscal Affairs means that taxpayers are becoming more compliant. Some fines for late or non-payment have also decreased, and the number of court actions are lower comparatively than in mainland Portugal.

(10th September). ‘Finanças To Replace Letters With Emails – Electronic communications with the taxpayer starting in earnest this month’. The Directorate General for Taxation (DGCI) wants to finish with the paperwork and reduce costs. The action will need a progressive implementation, starting next Tuesday, because "we need to change the attitudes and habits", says a spokesman.

In the same article, the DGCI says it has 75,000 cars it needs to sell, that were seized for non payment of taxes. It aims to sell all of these by the end of this year. A spokesman says that cars are the most ’seized’ item, followed by household goods and ‘bank accounts’, for non payment of taxes.

(11th September). ‘Ports Promote Terminal – Partnership with the Canaries is better value for the Port of Funchal’. The port of Funchal will be present in the trade fair ‘Seatrade Europe’, which this year will take place in the city of Hamburg from the 15th to 17th of this month. This year the representation is in partnership with the Canary islands, through (the theme) ‘Cruises in the Atlantic Islands’, which has a 48 square metre stand. Asked about the importance of this event for the region, particularly with regard to the port area, Bruno Freitas of the port authority APRAM acknowledged that "the representation of APRAM at this show serves as an effective promotion of Madeira Islands, and the Port of Funchal as one of the more competitive cruise ports in this area of the Atlantic, but also in the continuity of work on publicity and projection that have been held regarding the new Maritime Passenger Terminal". He reminded that work has already been done in this respect in Lisbon in January, as well as in Miami, the largest fair in the market, that took place in March this year.  "APRAM is promoting, along with national ports, the creation of new partnerships to explore new routes with the aim of attracting more cruise ships to the Port of Funchal, highlighting in this way its seasonality", he said. November this year will be the busiest and important month with 54 cruise ships visiting, some on repositioning journeys for a new cruise season, and able to see the construction of this new facility.

In a related article . ‘Project Alterations Could Delay Completion Of The Terminal’. The port authority APRAM guarantees that alterations being made to the new terminal, so that it can accommodate it’s own services, will not delay the inauguration. But the truth is that that opinion is certainly not shared by those who are on the site, having been obliged to take down structures (walls) to ensure the right configuration. The president of APRAM said "the changes in the project are designed to ensure the maximum functionality and comfort of passengers boarding and disembarking, as well as improved conditions for passengers in transit". "These changes at no time have caused any inconvenience or delay in carrying out the work, which, incidentally, continues on schedule", he added. The Diário believes that completion by the deadline of December 2010 is in jeopardy. APRAM has until December 2010 to complete the work without penalty to the €7 million granted by the Cohesion Fund.

‘Parpública Says That TAP Is In A Critical Situation’. The TAP airline group has a negative equity of €247.2 million, up from €171.7 million at the end of 2008, as shown in the half-yearly accounts. According to the biannual report of Parpública, sole shareholder of the Portuguese airline, the "critical financial situation" remains critical due to the "negative result obtained in the first 6 months of this year".

‘Hotel Occupation Rate Currently At Around 75% – The numbers are better than 2008′. That’s 3% higher than the same time last year. The regional director for tourism revealed the figures yesterday, saying that the improvement is (partly?) down to the wine festival programme that her department has invested €129 thousand in. She said awareness of the wine festival definitely attracts tourists who are aware of the event, and the entertainment that goes with it. The information for the event is available on the internet as far forward as 2012. Most of the activities are centred in Avenida Arriaga, but the focus shifts to Estreito de Câmara de Lobos on the 5th September.

‘More Domestic Passengers’. Madeira Airport is the Portuguese airport which had the largest growth of domestic traffic in July, with growth of 15.4% over the same month last year, which equates to 117,800 passengers. International passengers fell 19.1%, to 96,100 in the comparison of the same months. In the seven months to July 2009, Madeira Airport had an overall fall in passenger numbers of 5.5% to 1.36 million, whilst domestic traffic grew 12.2% to 671,700 passengers.

‘Santa Barbara Airlines Launches Funchal To Caracas At €390 – Venezuela more accessible until December’. The flight already exists as far as I know, but the prices are new, in a campaign called ‘Anti-crisis prices’. The flights will be available from 1st October until 12th December, and are priced from €390.

‘Surveillance Launch Lost – ‘Escorpião’ returns to Lisbon after a 2 month period of service in the region’. The Portuguese Navy vessel will finish its service here on Sunday, after coming here to reinforce control of Madeira’s waters on 4th July. It’s duties included safeguarding lives at sea, fishing enforcement activities, and other actions.

(27th August). ‘Passenger That Travel On 28th And 29th Need To Check Before Going To The Airports – ANA-Airports of Portugal appeals to passengers to contact the airlines and travel agents’. The first two day strike of TAP airlines starts tomorrow, involving staff represented by 5 trade unions. Cancellations and delays are expected, and ANA, the airports operator, wants to avoid unpleasant situations at the airports. More information is published in today’s newspapers and on the TAP website (there is a link on the right hand side of this page), or ring 218 431144. The next strike is planned for the 11th and 12th of September.

‘More Fish (Long Bill) And Tourists / Fishermen – August has more customers, but it doesn’t hide the crisis facing the industry’. "The business is no longer what it was. Customers are fewer in number, hence the month of August has around 30% less than the same period last year. However, it is noted that demand is much better than that of early-season (June), because in that month the (boat) charters fell almost 50%". So says Pedro Gonçalves of the company NAUTISANTOS, Ltd. "Yet we have had charters almost every day, which is always good" he says, referring to a mini recovery for his big game fishing business. There are many long bill fish this season says another businessman in the sector, saying that warmer seas are bringing them in closer to shore. Madeira is known as one of the best places in the world for this type of fishing, and in 2008 430 Blue Marlin catches were made, 12 of them weighing over 1,000 pounds (454 kgs). One other attractive feature is that from port to the best fishing zones is very short, needing just 5 minutes to be able to start fishing. In other European big game fishing locations the travelling is usually an hour or more.

‘New Tourist Office In Rossio’. The deal has been done, but the official announcement won’t be until September. The Regional Secretary of Tourism and Transport has already signed the lease with a company for the use of a space that will be between the Rossio and Praça do Comércio, in downtown Lisbon. The old office for Madeira Tourism in Portugal closed suddenly some months ago.

‘Hotels On Madeira And The Algarve Maintain Staffing Levels – The main hotel groups say that demand is sufficiently good to maintain jobs’. The regions most affected by rising unemployment in July were the Algarve and Madeira, according to the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training, but the hotels say they have maintained the employment levels from previous years. Figures released in July showed that unemployment had increased over a year by 50.3% on Madeira, and 104.2% in the Algarve. The Pestana Group, with 10 hotels here and 8 in the Algarve, says it has kept the same number of workers, and taken on temporary workers. Vila Galé group, also operating in both locations, also said it had not cut back on staff. It just shows the profits they used to make in the good old days then, if they can maintain the same overheads with much reduced revenue.

(26th August). ‘Salary Bank Accounts* Save Up To 240 Euros Per Year – "As a rule, they are free of maintenance costs (bank charges) or do not charge an annual fee for the cards". This applies especially if managed through the Internet, says a study by DECO, the Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection. The study covered 19 banks, of which 6 claimed to provide an "account for citizens with low incomes", i.e. providing a minimum level of banking services. DECO is challenging the Ministry of Finance to create a citizen’s account, accessible to any customer, with reduced maintenance costs and a free debit card. Deco also notes that some transactions can be carried out at multibanco (ATM) machines for less than it would cost on the telephone or at the bank counter. The full report is due to be published next month. It is my understanding that a conta-ordenado*, is for people working and having salaries paid in, but I think it is the same account that I have for example, with nothing being paid in on a regular basis, but is subject to no bank charges as long as a minimum balance is maintained, but I am not 100% certain, and it may vary with different banks.