Madeira News Blog

(6th July). Today’s main news headline : ‘Hotels Infringe Law – A newish law covering access and use of the internet has been in force a year, but several hotels on Madeira still don’t comply’. A year after the new rules came in, many hotels still haven’t implemented their obligations. One of the rules is that all 3, 4 and 5 star hotels provide internet access for guests, and another is that they retain access and location data for guests and companies using the internet, in order to identify individuals where necessary for the purposes of detection, investigation, and prosecution of serious crimes. This data needs to be stored for one year, and there are penalties for non-compliance, although until now no investigation has been hindered because of this non-compliance.

‘Ferpinta Compensates Saviotti Over the hotel ‘Vila Baleira’. This was on the front page, but related to a contractual dispute between the owners and operating company of the hotel ‘D. Pedro Porto Santo’ aka ‘Vila Baleira’. The 10 year contract agreed in 1997 was terminated early for breach of trust, when the owners concluded that the management company were unable to manage the unit properly, with chaotic accounting, poor management, and other problems cited. Also mentioned are crimes of violation of correspondence and telecommunications, theft, computer fraud and sabotage, and unfair competition. It’s a long article with compensation of tens of millions of Euros being demanded, with counterclaims, appeals, and all sorts of corporate nastiness. This latest hearing resulted in the hotel owners being awarded €130,000 in compensation.

‘Number One Of 600 Hotels Worldwide – Jardim Atlântico adds environmental awards from international operators’. The hotel in Prazeres achieved yet a further award last week to recognise its performance in environmental sustainability. The latest award was from ‘Thomas Cook Northern Europe’, representing Scandinavia, for the ‘Best Ecological Hotel’. The hotel already hold 5 environmental compliance certificates, including ISO 14001, and now has 25 individual awards. The hotel also promotes environmental work outside of its own grounds, including reforestation of the Natural Park of Madeira, where 3,700 trees were planted using not only it’s own staff, but also involving hotel guests, who show great interest in such initiatives.

(5th July). ‘Summer Could Recover The Poor First Six Months – The regional secretary for tourism says that hotel bookings are pointing towards 90% occupancy’. She said while in Lisbon last week that the indications are good for this Summer in tourism, for the period between 15th July and 15th September, with some hotels, not all, with high levels of reservations. Much of the trade is coming from Portugal. "April and May were were good months" she said, and in June the numbers were similar to last year. In the first four and a half months tourists numbers and revenues were down between 10 and 15%, with hotels registering a 59% occupancy rate.

‘Madeira Leads With A Blue Marlin Of 351 Kilos – It is in a strong position to win the 25th world coarse fishing championship’. With just a few hours to go until the contest is completed in different time zones worldwide, Madeira is in front. The fish was caught by the team on the boat ‘Hawk Eye. UPDATE 6th July : The Madeira team was eventually thwarted, and lost the ‘winner takes all’ €400,000 prize, when in the last hours of the competition a Blue Marlin weighing 392 kilos was caught off Bermuda.

‘TAP Loses Over 100,00 Passengers Just In May – The negative trend has continued since January’. Compared to May last year, Portugal’s favourite airline lost 105,000 passengers, a reduction of 12.3%. The company blames the situation on a reduction in demand in the European and North Atlantic markets.

(3rd July). ‘Ryanair Opens Operating Base In Porto – The company says that the airport charges have discouraged connections with Madeira’. The Irish budget airline says it is interested in starting a domestic route between Porto and Madeira, and is keeping in touch with national and regional airport authorities. A spokesman for the company said that there are two criteria necessary for Ryanair to consider a new airport connection, being a fast turnaround time for ‘handling’ (able to despatch an aircraft 30 minutes after landing), and operating costs that fit into the companies business model. Ryanair’s 33rd base costing €100 million in Porto is expected to be up and running in September

(31st May). ‘Sun And Free Entrance Compose The Beaches – The good weather takes many people to the beaches, even with a very high UV factor’. Even the clouds that descended over Funchal yesterday afternoon didn’t deter people from Lido*, Ponta Gorda, Gavinas, and the other free beaches. Some people said that they no longer use the beaches that charge entrance fees. Today also has a very high ultra violet warning. (*I believe access to Lido is free for a temporary period?).

‘The Thematic Park At Santana Is Going To Have A Time Machine’. The attraction will show visitors old images of Madeira "which curiously continues until the year 2419", a thousand years after Madeira was discovered. I wonder if Uncle Bertie will feature in those later years, or perhaps that will be saved for another display about the dinosaurs of Madeira.

Ribeira Brava Distinguished With ‘Accessible Beach’ Flag – It is the first beach on Madeira to display the flag that shows that there is special access provisions for disabled people, people with mobility problems, pregnant women, and the elderly. The award is made by the National Committee of Coordination for the European Year of People with Disabilities. To obtain the award, six criteria must be met : Pedestrian access,  parking provision, access to bathing area, beach crossing path, adequate sanitary provisions, and access to help / first aid. Other less critical considerations are access to bars and restaurants, and availability of amphibious wheelchairs (which Ribeira Brava doesn’t have). The award, which has been running since 2004, already covers dozens of beaches in Portugal and the Azores. 

(30th May). ‘The ship Santa Maria offers tickets at €15 for the Atlantic Festival – Cheaper tickets for Madeirans’. Demand to see the firework displays is high, and the company that owns the ship will do Saturday night trips out to see the event from offshore. The tickets are on sale at the booking office at Funchal Marina. The outing departs at 10pm, returning at 11.30pm, and includes a glass of Madeira Wine. Other Portuguese and foreigners can book tickets at hotel receptions and travel agencies for €25. I am sure someone will have something to say on the price differential … over to you!

(29th May). ‘SATA Brings New Aircraft To Porto Santo – The new plane has less seats, but will be more modern’. The two Bombardier Dash Q200′s have already arrived on the Azores, but for now have a Canadian registration. They will fly the Madeira – Porto Santo route from the start of next year. They have already been painted in the new SATA group ‘brand’ that uses the slogan ‘The Atlantic and you’. The planes already have 11 years of service, having been used by the North American company Horizon. They will substitute the ATP which currently does the Porto Santo route, and will be more modern and more efficient for the job. There will only be 37 seats, compared to the 65 currently, but the new planes will be able to make more journeys. SATA also awaits delivery of four new Dash Q400′s, with capacity for 80 passengers, and these will be used in the new year on routes between the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands initially, and later for Faro and also the islands of Cabo Verde.

‘Post of Madeira In Lisbon ‘Despejado’ By The AICEP’. A couple of things there I can’t work out, but the gist of the article is that Madeira has been kicked out of it’s space in the tourist information offices in Lisbon, a space it had shared with the Azores over many years. Turismo de Lisboa took the action without consultation, and surprised Madeira, although the Azores had already made alternative arrangements. The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport may have known, but probably wasn’t given time to make alternative arrangements. The search is now on to find somewhere else suitable.