Eduardo Jesus guarantees that Madeira does not have “excess tourism”

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News

Has no clue what he is talking about, and must go round with his eyes closed, or obviously doesn’t visit any of the tourist hotspots anymore. May not be mass tourism like many other places in Europe,  but certainly a huge problem that isn’t being managed. 

The issue of overtourism, which has been on the agenda, was brought to the regional parliament on a morning in which investments and ideas in the areas of Economy, Tourism and Culture are in focus.

The subject was first addressed by Burno Melim, from the PSD, who, referring to the infrastructures and entrances, wanted to know how these were adapted for the management of land use planning, asking Eduardo Jesus to clarify whether or not there is mass tourism.

Later, Sara Madalena, with greater emphasis, once again confronted the government official with the same problem. The CDS/PP deputy wanted to know what the Regional Government intends to do to resolve what she says is the “saturation” of tourist attractions.

The centrist also took the opportunity to ask about the recovery of the rural landscape, one of the measures proposed by her party, as well as the old regional roads.

Regarding these aspects, Eduardo Jesus assured that Madeira does not have “excess tourism”, arguing that the Region is “fortunately, a long way from this reality”, speaking of calculations of overload indicators by international organizations. As he pointed out, excess occurs when this indicator is between 120 and 130, stating that Madeira does not reach 40.

He even said that “the problem has to do with the management of the territory”, referring the matter to Rafaela Fernandes, who will be at the Legislative Assembly of Madeira today. And regarding the positions taken in this area, alluding to the impact that they may have on the issuing markets, Eduardo Jesus even said that “we are shooting ourselves in the foot”.

The minister pointed to the communication campaign that has been carried out by Madeira Tourism with a view to promoting alternative trails, as an alternative to the most congested routes, suggesting that the choice should fall on the less popular routes.

From Diário Notícias

Previous ArticleDog missing in the Gaula area
Next ArticleEduardo Jesus announces installation of high-precision wind equipment at the airport in September
Tobi Hughes

36 Responses

  1. I agree wholeheartedly with you Tobi – the first thing they need to address is the 100% (I reckon) of Hire Cars which is a disgrace – who owns this Island? Residents should be more respected.

  2. Wow what a rant against tourists, Tobi. I am from the UK but a decent person and I spend my money locally with local businesses. I was very fortunate to visit your beautiful island in 2022, for the first time, for a holiday. I found it so calming and lovely after a lot of traumas in my life, including the murder of my dear mother in South Africa in her home there. I don’t go where I am not wanted though and judging by your comments I can add Madeira to the list of places, where as a solo traveller paying exorbitant supplements, I am not welcome and get the message loud and clear.

    1. Not at all Beverley…..you would certainly notice a difference in the two years that you haven’t been to Madeira…..it’s the dreadful increase of hire cars which are now clogging up the roads and parking illegally because they think they can get away with it. Issuing parking fines is no good because the tourists have gone home by the time they come through! Clamping is the only way and I think they are beginning to realise this. Mind you, not hiring out so many cars would be even better. I can’t understand why tourists can’t use the buses which are excellent and now that they have had so many more delivered recently are so easy to use. I think you will find that Madeira is as calming and beautiful as you found your holiday to be in 2022, but like everywhere else life gets busier.

      1. I am very sorry to say that, but how can one be so ignorant.
        First example:
        Got to the website
        https://siga.madeira.gov.pt/
        and click on “Planear Viagem”
        Second example:
        In the part of Ribeira Brava, where I live, all the busstation are named “Moreno”.
        Third example:
        The bus to Funchal passes Moreno just 3 or 4 times a day.
        Fourth example:
        Try to find out a connection from Ribeira Brava to Porto Moniz on the SIGA website.
        Pleae explain your sentence under consideration of the above:
        “the buses which are excellent and now that they have had so many more delivered recently are so easy to use”
        For me it seems like public transport is that unprofessionally organised, to protect the car rental companies.

    2. Sorry to hear about your mother and I’m glad that time in Madeira helped you at such a stressful time. It’s not the rant against tourism that you think it is, Beverley. The number of hire cars and the knock-on effects of more tourists has significantly changed since the pandemic. I’ve been a regular visitor since 2007 and from 2015 lucky enough to buy a small apartment there (when prices were normal for locals as well as people like me who fully intended to retire there one day!) The numbers of tourists since everyone started travelling again is staggering whenever I’m there. I have to avoid places I used to visit often simply because it’s impossible to get to them. Madeira has always and will always need tourists, so it’s not a rant at all, more a rant towards a government who don’t implement any limits. This is a genuine concern that a small and peaceful, beautiful island will lose its natural identity and become a theme park (if current growth is maintained). Don’t let this put you off visiting, but don’t hire a car, get a local guide to show you around.

  3. The cruise ships start arriving soon….
    August sees 7 visits
    September sees 12 possible visits
    October sees 23

    Standby for a crowded Funchal.

    1. Maurice, I know you are sadly no longer able to visit Madeira, I’ve just got back home from a quick seven days in Madeira. We had one cruise ship, without that cruise ship central Funchal was quiet. I believe if you were to return you would notice the lack of hotel based visitors in central Funchal and the Old Town at lunch time. Whether this is due to all inclusive hotels, Air BNB tourists, privately rented accommodation, who use the take away food industry or the change in the type of tourist, who now seems to sit around the hotel pool I don’t know. Certainly the Restaurant/Bar we use at lunchtime on three occasions had more front of house staff, four, than clients, while on two occasions you could say trade was good and one day manic.

      1. When everyone yells about excess of tourism in Madeira they essentially mean 2 hotspots: Areeiro and Rabaçal. That could be easily solved making sure that people dont go to those 2 hotspots all at the same time.

        All the rest is typical scaremongering for political purposes or financial interests, like the tour guides promoted by these blog, who don’t like to see rental cars where they take 10×52 seater a day..Ironic.

        1. If you think there care only two them you live in your own dream world. Ponta sao Lourenço, Cabo Girão , Seixal, Porto Moniz, also try the cable car at Achadas da Cruz, 300-400 a day with well over an hour wait each way at times. Hate to think what Faja das Padres is like.

          1. Quite! I think the waiting time for a cable car is awful, but then, how many tourists get off a ship at the same time? Carnage! (Tobi – how much extra per person are Madeira now charging for setting foot onto Madeira from Ships? (I can’t remember if it’s 2euros? – nice earner!)And a note to “john” who does he think set up and run the car hire companies if not residents? And I agree, the government MUST regulate those companies.
            But, I still think the buses are better than they were….that’s how I get around!

            2. Jean.. Here is what I (john) wrote: “But is it not “residents” that own and operate car rental agencies? Is it not “residents” who have increased the amount they charge for their property?” So, IF you read correctly and properly, you will see that I CLEARLY know who set up and runs the car hire companies, and WHO is raising property rental prices so high as to be more than is affordable by “locals”. Some of them are honest and fair with customers….but there are also some who rip off tourists and even their fellow “locals” with ridiculous requirements and/or insurance costs and fake claims of damage to the vehicles!

        2. Sao Lourenco

          Trafic jam every evening around 18.00 from Calheta to Ribeira Brava (often because of the traffic light in Lugar do Baixo)

          More aggressiveness on the streets

          Just three more examples

  4. To everyone who wants a reduction in visitors, please make suggestions as to what you feel is an acceptable, practical way to replace the income, which benefits not only native Madeirans but foreign residents from the only industry Madeira has.

    1. Precisely George. There are calls for cruise ships to boycott Spanish ports because of the protests. The whole situation is getting out of hand. European leaders are meeting at Chequers but you can bet there are no discussions about tourism.

      1. That’s up to the European Leaders – nothing to do with UK telling them what to do in their own countries

    2. Doesn’t need a reduction of visitors, but some kind of control over the hot spots. The government keep talking about it, but still no action. Plus all these pop up car rental agencies, over 190 now, still with no control, and most probably illegal.

  5. There is no excess of tourism. You can tell that by the occupancy rate and by the fact that Madeira is one of the few destinations in Europe where you don’t have to queue to have a meal this time of year.

    The only ones concerned about “excess of tourism” are the ones who are not getting their share by increased numbers like guided tours and tourist guides. Their the ones who want to take 52pax bus to Levadas and ban everyone else from doing it and their the ones promoted by this blog.

    1. When have you ever seen 52 seat buses doing Levada tours, you really know nothing about Madeira. They are never promoted on here either so wake up and stop imagining.

      1. You keep publishing videos of buses in Areeiro who are unable to pass due to rental cars. Those buses take 52pax each. Same in Rabaçal area.

        Ponta de Sao Lourenço is not a problem at all. Madeira is not a “one man´s island”. It has never been. Why is the Achadas da Cruz a cable car a problem at all? That´s a private business, more people more money. If they don´t want to queue they go somewhere else. What impact does queing at Achada da Cruz even have in your a life as a resident?

    2. Antonio Lamas, I would suggest going around and looking at the restaurant menus to check the prices and quality of food and service. Then you may understand why tourists are not queuing to eat at restaurants.

  6. So Jean…. you state that “residents should be more respected”. But is it not “residents” that own and operate car rental agencies? Is it not “residents” who have increased the amount they charge for their property? You correctly point out that the excess number of rental cars, and their illegal parking are primary problems. Let’s face it….there simply is not enough parking available for private vehicles on the island! This is a jagged island, and there is simply not enough available parking at the tourist level. So……..affordable and efficient mass transit would solve a lot of the issues. The correct answer is NOT to have a government-imposed limit on visitors…it is to improve the transportation infrastructure. You state that the “buses are excellent now”? REALLY? With stops and transfers, It takes over 3 hours to get to many locations that can be driven in 40 minutes. And the service is “spotty” at best. So YES, let’s get the bus services be improved dramatically with electric buses running on a frequent schedule! Also, REGULATE the rental car businesses to make sure they are NOT ripping off customers. And require each renter to sign a document backed by a credit card or cash deposit stating that they will pay VERY HIGH fees if they park improperly! And have law enforcement be more rigorous in the enforcement of the parking violations. These measures would make it easy to collect the fines for parking violations, and that money can be used to help pay for improved public transportation.

  7. Perhaps a good start would be to somehow start making the local buses less intimidating for visitors so they would be happier to use them and not have the need to hire cars to feel comfortable. Also picking up on an earlier point the guides could start visiting different places and developing these rather than sticking to the current instagram favorites.

  8. Mass tourism and mass problems Never mind cheaper, less-crowded places to go on holiday.

    1. Mass tourism but mass problems. I prefer to say mass tourism that has produced mass benefits. Let’s discuss it. We don’t know when you took up residence on Madeira, assuming you have. I first visited in 1968 with the idea of buying or building a restaurant or café. After a week touring the Island with the majority of my time spent in Funchal, I left, despite the wonderful people and the physical beauty, I could see no way that the Island could ever become a success as a resort because of the lack of infrastructure and modern thinking. Certainly the first time tourists visiting Madeira now wouldn’t have entertained the thought of Madeira. Basically it was a beautiful dog hole, fine for the well off tourist staying in the few hotels but most of the younger people could see no future and were emigrating. I returned in the 80s when tourism was beginning to take off and started thinking I could have been wrong. By the mid 90s I knew I had made a mistake. All this was a result of tourism. Let me ask you would you have preferred it to remain as it was, lacking education, health facilities and without a road system. I’ve asked quite a few Madeirans of most ages, while all agree there are problems, none wish to go back to the good old days.

  9. There are many issues about inadequate infrastructure….not just at tourist hotspots, but excess traffic and inadequate parking everywhere.
    We are having the water for Arco da Calheta delivered….and had none at all for 16 hours a few days ago. The system already can’t cope with the demand.
    The government should learn from the mistakes of many other islands, cities and countries who are having such problems that they really are turning against visitors.
    We shouldn’t be thinking about expansion because more people moving here or having holidays in Madeira will be a serious issue if things continue at this pace.
    Destroying what makes the island unique to attract more visitors and spread them out is short-sighted. The poor (and there are many here) are not benefitting from the extra money brought in ….
    My Madeiran friends are already complaining about journey times, the impossibility of buying or renting, queues in supermarkets/shops and many other things. I would be sorry to see them lose their famously, hospitable welcome.

  11. Our first visit to Faja de Padras was going down in the bone shaker lift. 250 steps the reach it then Having allowed the mechanism to cool down before setting off .then the decent straight down the cliff and then another 250 steps to reach the cafe. It used to be our favourite place to visit, peace and quiet sitting having our lunch under the palm trees with the sea lapping close by. Went every year for 10 or so . Then in the last few years we were confronted by the cable car. The beginning of the end.
    Sheila D

    1. Sheila Davies
      The beginning of the end?
      I did that trail going down not long time ago and the other Achadas da Cruz and none of them
      advised to go only if recently they manage to improve them . Last time I did do Achadas da Cruz and not advisable to no one them I was the only going down with my husband and son and despite having the hiking boots and the pools and going very slow you still sliding down and not space to make any type of mistakes since you could fall strait in the bottom in the sea or in the beach end up dead . And the authorities should put a signal that is is too dangerous to anyone go should be close until they arrange the trail .

  12. Plenty space for everyone the many problem is everyone goes to same places without thinking that there is other places they can visit beside the popular ones go beyond of that explore without putting yourself at risk and others . The other thing many of this tourists and some local people suddenly thinking that all are hikers and can do hikes that are very demanding and long people should think twice before thinking doing them since many of this people will not manage doing them and even putting their health at risk . My advice it is always the same safe first beyond everything independent what people think can achieve when putting themselves at risk tinking that can do when many times not at all . Madeira hikes in levadas and mountains it is changeling and very demanding not to think that is a walk in the park and go with trainers , flip flops and sandals or even high heels or even thinking taking the small babies in their backs or even underage children’s in such hikes and risking their health or even accidents can happen when taking them a long bad idea not advisable at all and no dogs in this trails and not taking them in your both arms . Where you going to manage handling yourself ? See that happening many times and also there isn’t any type of space to leave the dogs ruining without lead over the place to many narrow trails and to may cliffs in the hedge take in consideration the other people that there isn’t no space to leave them ruining over the place can lead to accidents with other hikers . But offer curse this will be going in deft ears completely .

  13. If I were an ilslander and wished to take my kids to Seixal beach or Porto Moniz Pools …what a mess it has become to even get there and find a parking spot. Before Covid it was a little crowded during summer holidays but now…?

    1. Peter
      Last time I was there the worse was when I did manage find a place in the beach a couple of tourist decide feed the lizards and I could be laying down in the beach towel and with that came the seagulls in the end I left after barely arriving . Despite the bins being near at walking distance this people couldn’t drop that in the bin and give to the animals no one else was doing that . When going to the beach take in consideration the others that did drive long distance to arrive there and find a car park and walk to the beach and find a place in the beach dont feed the lizards and the seagulls not very nice think about the others .

Comments are closed.

© 2023 Madeira Island News | Privacy Policy