The Algarve hotel association (AHETA) has slammed the government’s latest measures to support the economy, calling them “ineffective and insufficient”, particularly for the tourist sector.
The association has targeted the government’s layoff scheme which it says makes it “very hard” for hotels to prove they have experienced considerable losses. It also says hotels should be exempt from paying TSU taxes.
“The Algarve’s tourist activity has been practically inactive since October 2019, in other words more than 15 months, and will remain so for an uncertain period of time, which we anticipate will be long,” says the association.
Apart from blasting the existing credit lines for companies, AHETA calls for “urgent and immediate direct financial support” in the form of grants – funds they won’t have to pay back.
As it points out, “the government cannot try to cure a chronic disease with aspirins”.
