Quarteira parish council, one of the most sought-after locations by motorcaravan owners, is cracking down on owners who park up and stay beyond the legal limit.
A parking area situated at Fonte Santa on the Quarteira to Almancil road providing facilities for electrical energy, water supply and disposal of waste, was created this year with a capacity for more than 100 vehicles at a charge of €2 per night.
The time limit was set at 72 hours and fines of between €25 and €500 were implemented for owners transcending the regulations.
The plan was to curb the amount of ‘wild’ parking and also to combat the seasonal drop in visitors travelling to the Algarve in motorcaravans during the off-peak season.
During November, the Fonte Santa parking area was used by a total of 228 caravans, according to official figures.
In more global terms, the Algarve receives more than 40,000 motorcaravans each year, according to a study by the Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional (CCDR) but because of ‘wild’ parking the region has suffered a financial loss of about €8 million.
To remedy the problem, more than a dozen official parking sites have been opened, but the region’s municipal authorities (Comunidade Intermunicipal do Algarve) believe the number needs to be doubled.
