The association highlighted that the measures announced by the government are a general response framework for catastrophic situations but remain too generic and do not currently address the specific needs of the tourism accommodation and restaurant sectors, which have been severely affected by the fires.
AHRESP also noted that it maintains constant contact with the government and Regional Tourism Entities, especially in the Centre region, where the highest number of fires have occurred, to communicate the challenges faced by its members and to expedite concrete solutions that meet the real needs of businesses.
“According to the government’s indication, specific measures for tourism are still being developed and are expected to be announced shortly,” it added.
While not detailing the measures, the association expressed high expectations that the proposals it submitted to the government will be accepted, advocating that a substantial portion of the support be non-repayable and applied to both territories directly affected by the fire and establishments closed by government order.
Moreover, it argues that the remainder of the support should have extended repayment cycles to ensure financial breathing room for companies to overcome this crisis.
AHRESP mentioned it has consulted telecommunications operators and offered to help identify solutions for communication issues, with MEO confirming that it is making a continuous effort to restore communication services in affected municipalities whenever safety conditions allow.
“The company emphasized its ongoing efforts to ensure communication continuity and expressed its full availability to collaborate with AHRESP in identifying priority situations to provide quick and effective responses to the needs of affected businesses and communities,” it added.
The association reiterated that, under the protocol with the Portuguese Firefighters League, essential goods are being sent to the areas most affected by the fires.
On Thursday, the government approved, in an extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting in Viseu, a framework with 45 measures to be adopted in situations of large-scale fires, which have consequences for the heritage and economy of families and businesses. These measures aim to quickly and efficiently provide support to affected regions and people.
