Madeira News Blog

(31st August). Today’s main news headline : ‘Regional Produce Hardly Used In The Hotels – The appeals for the preference of fruit and vegetables from Madeira only amounts to 5% of the consumption of tourists’. ‘Qualifrutas, which supplies the hotels and restaurants, calls for greater use of regional production’. Hard to believe I know, but 95% of what a tourist gets fed in terms of fruit and vegetables is imported, that’s in the hotels, with the restaurants equally guilty. That of course applies to Madeirans eating out as well. Qualifrutas is one of the leading suppliers to the trade on Madeira, and it says it has good suppliers here, and only resorts to importing when there is insufficient product locally, a particular problem with fruit, although ‘greens’ are 30 to 40% sourced on Madeira. Lettuce and tomatoes are mainly sourced and supplied here, with little need to import, unlike green beans, cauliflower or broccoli, which require "importation in large quantities", says the company. Even the banana is imported, and the spokesman says it is just necessary to look in the supermarkets to see how little representation there is from Madeira in the greengrocery ranges.

‘Passenger With Gripe A Prevented From Boarding – The tourist was already in the airport when he received internment orders from Marmeleiros Hospital’. The tourist spent the night in hospital. Confirmation that the person had swine flu resulted in him being prevented from travelling to Lisbon and infecting other passengers on the flight. His three travelling companions also spent the night in the hospital to be screened, but at the time showed no symptoms. The tourist was on the list of suspected cases, having had symptoms, and attended Funchal Central Hospital for checks. Whilst the analysis was being done he took the medications, but his condition developed rapidly as he prepared to return home, and the confirmation of Gripe A changed his plans. The firemen of Santa Cruz were sent to the airport to pick up the group in a vehicle equipped for such cases. One of the sick patients already in hospital with pneumonia (and gripe A) has improved in health and is no longer connected to the ventilator. That patient, probably the most serious case so far, from Câmara de Lobos, no longer needs breathing assistance. They should put warnings signs up in the airports and on check-in desks to tell people that if they know they have Gripe A, and continue to fly, they could go to prison for knowingly infecting others on board – 5 years inside if I recall correctly.

‘Port Without Space Is Losing Cruise Ship Visits – A shipping agency alerts to the need to increase the posts for mooring’. This is an article in the series ‘The top 100 Companies’. This one is called Agência Ferraz, specialising in the ‘shipping’ sector, and founded 80 years ago. It deals with some of the big players in the international market, and includes tourism. Carlos Santos of the company believes that Funchal Port needs upgrading works, and although the new port building is very welcome, the real need is to increase the number of berths, particularly as ships are now getting larger. He said that the port has already lost business for not responding to the call for more capacity, and this will continue to happen. "We can not think that docking a liner in Funchal is the same as in the Mediterranean, in Greece or the Caribbean. We can not allow ourselves the luxury of refusing scales or influencing the choices of companies" he said. 

‘He Lived The High Life And Left Debts Of €20,000′. A 27 year old man is under investigation by police after a series of frauds. The man from Castelo Branco in Portugal used scams to live the life of a lord on Madeira, leaving debts in hotels, shops, and restaurants in Funchal and surrounding areas. For almost a year he used stolen cheques and faked bank transfers to ‘live the life’. In one Funchal jewellery shop he brought gold worth €1,500, paying with a stolen cheque. New complaints are coming to light, and the extent of the fraud is mounting up, and the Diário has totted up more than €20,000 so far. The case goes back to December last year, when the young man, with a criminal record as a con man in Portugal, stayed at a hotel for a few days in Funchal, leaving behind a debt of €1,200. Several other hotels also fell victim, including the Carlton Hotel, again for €1,200. The con man is no longer on Madeira, and his whereabouts at present is unknown.

Today’s main photo and sports story : ‘Marítimo Uninspired In Leiria – Goalless draw justified in weak offensive performance of the ‘Verde-Rubros’. Nacional play this evening.

That’s everything from the front page today. Normally there are at least 7 headlines, sometimes as many as 9, but today just 5.

UPDATES :

‘Lugar de Baixo Undergoes More Works’. The controversial marina at Lugar de Baixo is again the subject of repairs. This time the work addresses the damage caused as a result of securing the overlooking cliff face, as well as some damage, caused by the strength of the waves, to the wall of the jetty that protects the marina. Also the construction that houses the car park, that was also badly damaged by rock falls, is being completely demolished, as that is was deemed to be the cheaper and most appropriate option. A new parking facility will not be built for now. "At this stage there is no justification, because we have enough parking in the area for the immediate needs", said a spokesman, adding that even if there was a need, it is intended in the future to consider other enterprises planned inside the marina complex.

‘Festival of Curral Finishes With Drunks and Brawls’. A young man was left unconscious after an assault in a bar, and several men were suffering with severe alcohol intoxication, during Saturday night in the festa in Curral das Freiras (Valley of the Nuns). Ambulance services were called on six times between midnight on Saturday and 8 am Sunday morning. Also during the weekend festival in São Vicente the fire department was called upon to rescue several people worse the wear from excess drinking. "But this, as they say, is normal when there are festivals in the parish". It might be normal, but it’s certainly not acceptable!

‘Searches are continuing along the coast’. Despite having been officially suspended for four days, the search operations for the 78 year old fisherman who may have fallen in the sea in the area of Lakota, Porto Santo, have continued with searches along the coast of the island. "Once or twice a day, we carry out searches along the coast", said the commander of the Maritime Zone of Madeira, adding that after so much time having passed since the disappearance, there is little chance of the body appearing along the coast.

‘Cimber Sterling Connects Madeira And Copenhagen’. The Denmark based airline flies today to Madeira’. The first of the weekly flights was due to land at Madeira Airport at 12.50 pm, returning to Denmark one hour later. The journey each way is around 5 hours.

‘CEB should maintain interest rates’. The Central European Bank should maintain its interest rates on Thursday, waiting to see if the signs of recovery in the euro zone will extend further. The main rate by the CEB should continue at its lowest historical level of one percent, where it has been since May, according to financial analysts.

FINALLY A FEW POLITICAL BITS & PIECES :

‘Jardim Responds To César – The number of islands is not an argument for positive discrimination’. "On this, one doesn’t count the number of islands, one counts the population, and Madeira has a higher population than the Azores" he said. He was responding to the president of the Azores, who said that the autonomous regions of Portugal should not be treated equally in terms of state financing, and that the Azores should have more than Madeira because it has more islands (9). "The density of population of the Azores is 110 people per square kilometre, and on Madeira it is 330", said Jardim, who also argued that Madeira has to import from abroad more than 80 percent of what it consumes, while the Azores have "a primary sector of agriculture, fisheries and livestock" with which they have little need to import. "If he is to play with the arguments, then, I also demand a positive discrimination in relation to the Azores", he said.

The best news today is that president Jardim returns to work after 20 days of holidays on Porto Santo. Over the last few weeks his day started with a game of tennis, then its was off for a stroll with his buddies along the golden beach as far as the famous ‘Bar do Henrique’. He also took some work with him to keep busy, as well as having some official duties arranged to coincide with his stay on Porto Santo, including inaugurations. He also read a book whilst there, the latest offering by Fernando Dacosta, and returned to Funchal for the 501 year celebrations. He also had other books with him, including one I mentioned the other day ‘The Mysteries of the Islands’, which he highly recommends we should all read. That summary of Uncle Bertie’s holiday, which cost him just €200 in accommodation charges, was from the Jornal da Madeira today, just in case anyone thought I was writing my own ‘soft’ account of our presidents exploits, which included insulting half the political forces and personalities of Portugal. Is there such a thing as ‘holiday rage’, ‘cos I think he caught a dose. I for one am pleased to have you back Bertie, as it will get Porto Santo out of the newspapers, having had more coverage than Funchal over the last 3 weeks.

From the Jornal da Madeira yesterday : ‘Ferreira Leite On Madeira On 8th September – A day for contact with candidates and the population of Madeira’. The PSD party leader, president Jardim’s boss in political terms, will visit some streets in Funchal to talk to people.

She’s the one on the left. I have no idea who the other bloke is.

(26th July). Today’s main news headline : ‘Succession Generates Doubts’ separates images of President Jardim and Miguel Alburquerque, President of Funchal Câmara, glaring at each other. ‘Survey reveals that Alburquerque is the ‘pretender’ best placed to succeed Jardim in the PSD-M party leadership, but also there are 40% of undecideds’. After Albuquerque with 25.8% in the survey of ‘favourites’ is Sérgio Marques, the ex Euro MP, with 9.1%. I don’t believe Jardim is retiring until 2011 if at all, so a bit of a pointless survey if you ask me … I will bore you no more.

The leader of the PSD nationally is off sick with the flu, so won’t be able to attend the big PSD-M party rally at Chão da Lagoa today. Bet she’s gutted, and Uncle Bertie too, but she sent a message instead. The event is said to have cost €200,000, including €100,000 for 230 bus and coach hires. Those from Porto Santo wishing to attend pay just €5 for the sea crossing, with the PSD-M making up the difference, estimated to be around €20,000. The main entertainer is expected to cost €15,000 for his show. The social democrats won’t discuss the costs, so the figures given are the Diário estimates. Must be great for those supporters on Porto Santo of other political parties, a very cheap day out in Funchal at the very least, all at the expense of the PSD-M.

From The Journal da Madeira : ‘The Autonomy Has To Develop To Keep Up With The World’. Madeira’s president stressed yesterday that it is in the genes of the Madeirans to resist and fight, adding that many Madeirans thrive in the world because of the advent of the Autonomy. President Jardim pointed out that Madeira has always been a land of resistance, and of struggle, due to the territorial problems of distance from Europe. The youth of today, he reminded, are the heirs of the spirit of resistance and struggle, of the ability to overcome difficulties. Yes I realise the risks of taking politics from the Journal, but this story seemed harmless enough with no obvious reason to fabricate and spin political propaganda. Besides from that I can honestly claim that any news from The Journal comes without me even touching the newspaper or visiting the website.

‘Debuts In Caniçal – The Port of Caniçal has two inaugural visits, one ferry and a tanker’. The ‘Volcán de Tauce’ arrives Monday at 3pm bringing all the cars and equipment for the Madeira Wine Rally starting on Thursday. The other debut is a brand new tanker, the ‘Nepheli’ bringing asphalt to fill the holes in the road ready for the rally. The ship was inaugurated in April this year. Also, anyone intending to use the Porto Santo ferry on Friday should note that the normal hours have been changed to allow two return journeys to be made that day.

(25th July). ‘Public interest of the ‘Armas’ challenged with new evidence – Letter from APRAM demanding that the Armas follows the rules or will be subject to legal action’. The association of ship owners, is preparing a new offensive to thwart the continuing operation of the Madeira / Mainland passenger ferry in carrying freight into Funchal Port. This time the move may include holding shareholders in Naveira Armas responsible for losses. Armas dodged the last court injunction aimed at stopping freight loading / unloading in Funchal, after a case was made that it was against the public interest to do so. The issue is the unloading of trailers and containers of cargo, something other shipowners cannot do in Funchal port due to different licence conditions. This time the case may be built around illegality of permission, but legal matters in Portuguese are not one of my strong points, so moving on …

‘Tourism Coaches Stopped And Waiting For Tourists – Madeira companies will have over 30% of their fleets parked-up this Summer’. Lack of business and cut-price competition is affecting the income of coach operators. With the crisis in the tourist sector and price cutting practiced by some companies, business for the coaches dedicated for tourism is being hit badly. It is hitting home more now because the high season for cruise ships has now passed. Some smaller coach operators say that half of their fleets are now not being used. Some operators have slashed their profit margins in desperation, whilst those on a better financial footing have not, and they are the ones complaining about lack of business. Also this time of year, the coaches that are used for school travel and are normally hired by the councils, are rented out for the Summer months for use in the tourism sector. Maybe some coach owners have never passed through a recession before, or have never understood economics, or heard of a relationship between supply and demand, but the survivors of a recession in a competitive market are not those that stand still and do nothing except complain … give me patience O Jedi master!!!

In the UK junk newspaper ‘The Sun’ (not my normal read I promise) it seems that airport taxes are to be raised again for UK air travellers to all destinations. For passengers within Europe, the rise will be £1 more this year, and another £1 in November 2010, but that is for journeys of up to 2,000 miles. For over 2,000 miles, it goes up £5 this year, and another £15 next year to £60, but unless you are flying from John O’Groats I think the lower band should apply.

Its a strange thing the internet, how it can influence people into decision making. Over the last week, 3 of the top 5 keyword searches on Google that have brought people to find this website have used combinations of the words madeira-swine-flu, amounting to around 15% of all searches that have ended up here. The chances they will end up at an article written last month ‘No Swine Flu Here’, which comes up as second on the first page of search results. I reckon these people doing the search, in the English language, are either people who have booked here for a holiday and are concerned, or are thinking about booking and checking out the Gripe A situation here. In a world of dog-eat-dog, wouldn’t it be great if the Gripe A problem here never really took hold and tourism here started to recover as people realised the risk was very low, and chose Madeira for their holidays in preference to other locations. I know I am just dreaming that it could happen, but of course it is unlikely in theory, as the more tourists that come here the higher the risk of new carriers and cross infection.

(14th July). ‘Jaime Ramos Confirms The Presence Of Ferreira Leite in Chão da Lagoa – PSD expect the greatest turnout ever from the Madeirans’. Manuela Ferreira Leite will be at the annual festival (rally) of the social democrats of Madeira on the 26th of July, and over 40,000 people are expected to attend to see the national leader of the social democrats. The announcement came from Jamie Ramos, who is the party leader on Madeira. More than two hundred coaches are expected to be hired for the event, which will have more than a hundred stands from traders of all sorts, local live music, and the singer Mikael Carreira. The theme of the event will be "34 years, 41 victories". In that case it won’t be hard to work out what next years event will be called, and the year after, ….

‘Jardim Encourages People To Participate In The Forthcoming Elections – The president of the regional government is optimistic about the future for agriculture’. Alberto João Jardim, urged the people to participate massively in the coming elections, "decisive" for the future of regional autonomy, whilst speaking at the Agricultural Fair in Porto Moniz. On the subject of strengthening regional autonomy he said "You can not have development without the Madeiran parliament having powers to make new laws and create new solutions, especially for the economic sector". On agriculture, given the hundreds of farmers that listened, he expressed optimism about the future of the industry of the region, citing figures from the National Institute of Statistics, which showed that the gross domestic product related to agriculture grew by 50% since 2001 in the region. However, that that growth has greatly been thanks to aid and EU subsidies.

‘Dr. Nélio Mendonça Passed Away – Ex-president of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira was hospitalised. The Government Of Madeira Is Going To Declare Today 3 Days Of Official Mourning’. The doctor specialising in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and politician died aged 78 after illness. He was also president of Nacional Sports Club, and the founder of Madeira’s health service. I have read the obituary and readers comments in the Diário today, and it sounds like Madeira has lost a great man indeed.

‘PS Blames Government For Environmental Charges’. The socialists of Madeira are concerned with the increasing debts of the councils here, as a result of the environmental policies of the regional government. The company established by the government for the management of water and solid waste should have been fully established by the start of this year, taking the work and costs from the councils, but this has not yet happened. As a consequence the councils are paying a high price for continuing to take the waste to the processing plant at Meia Serra, with some having to result to seeking credit to pay the bills.

‘Naviera To Continue Carrying Cargo – The ferry owner and Conceição Estudante point out that it is necessary to comply with the licence issued’. Naviera Armas and the Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport (STT) have not yet received notification from the court and the operation of loading and unloading in the port of Funchal will remain as at the moment. However the two parties, who met yesterday, agreed to comply with any future decision made by the court, that ruled that due to unfair competition the ferry between Madeira and Portugal could not carry freight, unless transported in lorries, and not in containers and trailers.

In a separate later headline it says ‘Government Will Defend Armas – The GR is aware of the importance of the Armas operation and offers itself to promote the public interest of this transport’. In a nutshell, the government of Madeira does not support the case of the National Association of Shipowners, who obtained an injunction against Armas over favouritism in terms of costs and freight in the use of the Port of Funchal. It’s a tricky one to resolve now, but the government here only have themselves to blame, for creating a situation that was bound to raise the hackles of those shipping companies forced to shift their operations away from Funchal.

‘Government Of The Republic Supports New Routes To Madeira – Signing of the agreement brings the secretary of state for tourism to Madeira’. 4.30pm on Wednesday is when the key players in tourism get together to sign the new agreements for the connections between Madeira and Paris, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. The deals will receive state and other funding for 3 years to the tune of €650,000, in order to attract a potential of 20,000 new tourists to Madeira.

‘New Ferry On The Cards – An emigrant from the Azores wants to start a ferry service between the Azores and Madeira’. He wants to buy a ship called the ‘Atlântida’ to run the service. The story appeared in the Diário de Notícias in Lisbon yesterday, saying that Madeira could benefit from a new service for passengers and freight, but the Azores government says that the ship does not meet the speed requirements to operate the service. The idea is to offer a complete ferry service using the connection of the Naviera Armas to reach the continent. This ferry option for passengers on the Azores has been extinct for the last 30 years. The businessman with the idea already owns a shipping company.

‘Occupation In Hotels Fell 16% In May – Data from the National Institute of Statistics shows a 13% fall in profits’. The number of ‘nights slept’ fell 16% compared to May 2008, a higher fall than that nationally (15.3%). However we still had the highest occupation rate for the month in Portugal at 54.6%, and the highest average length of stay (4.9 nights) compared to a national average of 2.7 nights per stay. Maybe it’s me, but there seem to be up and down figures published every week, and on the 4.9 nights average stay, does that mean that on the final day the average guest misses breakfast?