Tag Archives: lisbon
An eco-friendly Portugal
To impose itself as a competitive European tourist destination, Portugal has put much effort into aligning with the most strict demands of eco tourism. Today we thought we would like to show you an eco-friendly Portugal.
Almost 9 in 10 Portuguese holidayed in Portugal in 2013
A recent study has found that 86% of Portuguese opted to spend their holidays in Portugal in 2013, in places not that far from where they live.
Ericeira residents fight old law
This is a bit farther north than we usually talk about but it can become relevant for the Algarve as well.
A group of property owners from Ericeira – north of Lisbon – is contesting an ancient law which concerns waterfront properties being transferred to the Portuguese State unless one can prove in court that the land has been in private hands for at least 150 years.
Now if you think a little back, we talked about a controversial ruling which obliges owners of property in waterfront locations – such as those along the entire Algarve coastline – considered by the State as ‘hydric land’ in the public domain, to prove the public ownership of said land for at least a century-and-a-half in court before January 1, 2014, or it would revert to the ownership of the state.
The properties affected by this ancient law are those located on land within fifty metres from the sea or clifftop edge and within thirty metres in the case of a riverbank.
In the case of Ericeira, it is a coastal town – like so many in Portugal – with a history that goes back many hundreds of years and clifftops lined with very old properties, but not that many legal documents proving the ownership for such a long period of time.
The Ericeira group was formed back in 2005 – when this old law was reviewed – and comprised of twenty property owners. The group is now made up of more than 80 owners who with the assistance of lawyers and historians, meet regularly to discuss their actions against this preposterous measure.
Earlier this year the group sent a formal letter to the Ministry of the Environment, which apparently has dismissed the subject by passing it onto the Secretary of State for the Environment and no satisfactory reply to the letter was ever received.
Several political groups have also contested the complexity of the process for property owners to legalize their situation, but haven’t really said anything about completely abolishing this old law.
The Portuguese Government announces rescue package
The Portuguese Government has recently announced a rescue package meant to solve the crippling crisis that Portugal’s real estate and construction sectors have been going through in the past couple of years.
This all-embracing programme will include fifty new measures designed to produce more financial aid, increase the potential to expand business at the international level, streamline the training of employees linked to the two sectors while at the same time boosting the rate of employments.
Portuguese airline company TAP schedules strike
It’s not great when we have to report on less than nice news related to the Algarve, but we do like to report on anything that might influence your trip there and the scheduled TAP – Portuguese airline company – strike for this month might just affect some of you.
Half of the Algarve hotels are closed for the winter
It appears that during this cold season – the 2013 season – the number of Algarve hotels closing their doors is expected to rise according to the Portuguese Hotel Association – AHP.
We tout the idea of visiting the Algarve during the winter a lot on this website because of the reduced prices, considerably smaller crowds and milder temperatures however we’ve also talked about how the tough economic times are battering the area, and today is going to be one of the latter types of articles.
