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WORTH KNOWING
from Sam_Mar20
NEED TO KNOW
We bring you more news, local happenings, shop openings, bright ideas as well as helpful hints and charity updates, so you know what to look out for where. Send us your news too, we’ll always include anything of special interest
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FARO SET TO WELCOME REVAMPED TOURISTIC ROAD-TRAIN WITH MORE ATTRACTIVE ROUTE AND CHEAPER TICKETS
Faro Council has renewed the tourist train operator’s contract for another four years and introduced new features for the road bound Faro Tourist Train. There will be new stopping points, and the tickets will allow you to get out and explore the city at different locations. The idea is that tourists can explore the region’s capital with greater ease. This revamped small-scale public transport system of touristic interest will reopen in early April.
Faro Council decided to extend the route to more points in the city, such as the Jardim Alameda; the renovated viewpoint of the Hermitage of Santo António do Alto, and the Municipal Market of Faro, thus providing further courage of the city. Thus, the user can opt for a single use ticket, which corresponds to only one trip, complete or partial (adult), for the value of 3.77 euros (plus VAT) or for a daily ticket, which corresponds to several complete trips , as long as they are used up during the same day, for the value of 5.66 euros (plus VAT). Thus, the latter option allows tourists to make the stops they want at the various points along the route, so they can go off on their own and look around the city as they please on foot, and then continue their journey at the specified times.
The cost of both types of tickets are reduced by 50 percent in the case of individuals aged 10 years or less.
The transport will be running every day of the year, however, with seasonal adaptations. That is, from April 1st to October 31st, it will operate between 10 am and 9 pm; from November 1st to March 31st, between 10 am and 5 pm.
The tourist train will be operated by the company Delaturis, which is headquartered in Vilamoura. The contract is the result of a public concession tender approved at a Faro Council meeting on November 18th, 2019.
The value of the concession is 1206 euros per month, up to a total of 57888 euros for four years. The contract may be renewable for equal periods, up to a period of 12 years.
According to the specifications, the Faro tourist train will include an audio guide with headphones and the possibility of choosing a language. Mayor of Faro, Rogério Bacalhau, expressed his satisfaction to journalists, stating that “this is another step towards the increasingly recognized affirmation of Faro as a great tourist destination”. source: algarvedailynews.com
VILAMOURA INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW RETURNS
Vilamoura Marina will be hosting the International Boat Show between June 6 and 14, an event that has been held at the marina since 1999. Bringing together several of the sector’s leading companies, the event will showcase all kinds of boats as well as boat-related accessories, equipment and services. The show allows visitors to directly try out the boats. “The goal of the Vilamoura Marina International Boat Show is to once again bring together the main boat companies and operators in a privileged location with the best conditions for such an exhibition, similar to what is done in other international markets,” says Isolete Correia, the marina’s managing director. This year, there will also be a lifestyle area which will feature a car exhibition and several fashion and decoration items. Vilamoura Marina has 825 berths for boats ranging from six to 60 metres, a shipyard, a training centre, shops and restaurants and has hosted several major nautical events, such as the 420 World Championship. More information about the event can be found at www.vilamouraboatshow.fil.pt. Source: www.portugalresident.com
OLHÃO RECEIVES ‘GREEN LIGHT’ FOR CCTV CAMERAS
Olhão Council has received the ‘green light’ it needed from the Secretary of State for Internal Administration to implement a CCTV surveillance system in the town. Around 26 CCTV cameras are due to be set up very soon in Olhão’s downtown, namely the 5 de Outubro and República avenues and Rua do Comércio. source: .portugalresident.com
FACING THE FLAMES
Portugal is one of the countries in Europe most threatened by wildfires, and as the climate changes, the government has decided that it wants to be prepared. Part of that motivation comes in the wake of the summer of 2017, one of the worst fire seasons in the country’s living memory. A record area of over 500 thousand hectares burned; hundreds of homes were lost; and over a hundred people died. The area around the municipality of Pedrógão Grande still bears the scars of the fires that ripped through the area. Acres of burned trees appear randomly as you drive the rural roads, and stretch from the asphalt to the horizon. Thirty of those who died were killed in their cars along one stretch of road as they attempted to flee. It’s not something that people here have forgotten, two years later. Being prepared is a big task to undertake. After 2017, the Portuguese government legislated that trees and brush must be cleared from roads, to create a “buffer zone” of 10 metres on either side, using the tarmac to slow the progress of the blaze — and to create a safer road if people need to escape, something that was desperately needed three years ago. However, Portugal has the highest percentage of privately owned land in the European Union at 97 per cent, and land is often left to grow wild. It can be difficult to even identify the owners, and even more so to enforce fines for overgrowth. Clearing the fuel makes for slower-moving fires, which are more
easily controlled. So, when the owners don’t manage the land, the newly-created rural fire service, the AGIF, is stepping in. They deploy chainsawwielding teams to chop down the excess growth, in particular the flourishing eucalyptus which burns well and is thus a main culprit in the rapid propagation of forest fires. The government is also investing in even lower-tech solutions. A pilot programme was launched to pay for people to work as shepherds in vulnerable areas, with a specific goal in mind; get the goats to clear low-lying shrubs and plants. Additionally, the government are hoping to use fire to fight fire. “Fire is a good employee, and for sure during the summer a bad boss. So we need to use it wisely during the winter time,” says Tiago Oliveira, a scientific expert in wildfires and now the chief of the Portuguese Rural Fire Service. His teams light up areas of the countryside in what is known as a prescribed burn, turning tinderbox zones into cinders, creating fire breaks which will halt the flames in fire season. But they can only burn when the landowners agree to it, meaning his job is half fire chief, half public relations guru. Explaining how fire can be a good thing is often a challenge. Mr. Oliveira says it’s a matter of when, not if, Portugal will burn again. But if the country can adapt and be prepared for the new conditions it faces, it stands a better chance of saving both homes and lives. source: algarvedailynews.com
Os Mosqueteiros – the group that owns the Intermarché, Bricomarché and Roady brands in Portugal – has donated ¤17,500 to Faro children’s home Refúgio Aboim Ascensão. The children’s home was one of eight institutions in Portugal supported by the group’s ‘Good Wishes’ campaign, which during the last festive season asked shoppers to send their good wishes to the institutions. Each ‘good wish’ was then converted into a ¤2 donation by the group. All in all, the group donated ¤140,000 to the eight institutions: Refúgio Aboim Ascensão; Fundação O Século; No Meio do Nada; SOS Animal; Pão e Paz; APAV; CECD and ADM Estrela. This was the second year that Os Mosqueteiros organised this charitable campaign. Refúgio Aboim Ascensão is renowned for the work it carries out providing a safe, loving home for children in need. Source: portugalresident.com
by Dora Guerreiro
