The charge for admission to some tourist sites in Madeira should move forward this year. The information was confirmed by Miguel Albuquerque, this Thursday, on the sidelines of the visit to the company Extinfogo Madeirense.
According to the president of the Regional Government, for now the collection is guaranteed at the Ribeiro Frio Aquaculture Post (integrated in the Ribeiro Frio Forest Park) and at the Cabo Girão Viewpoint. The funds raised will be used to maintain these spaces. Madeirans can benefit from free access at the weekend.
“Everywhere, in all tourist destinations, there is a charge to allow the revenue to revert to the maintenance of these spaces, because it is not fair for the taxpayer to pay for all this”, justified Albuquerque. As an example, the president of the Madeiran Executive pointed out the money raised with entries to the Quinta Vigia Gardens, which annually yield about 40 thousand euros, “which can pay for the maintenance of spaces”. “All this implies millions of euros at the end of the year”, so it is necessary “some rationality in the management of these costs”, he said.
This collection has not yet advanced because it was necessary to give travel agents and companies in the sector a period of preparation, since there are packages that are already negotiated and that, with this new cost, would be unsustainable. “We made an agreement with some tourism agents to have a period of time to inform the agencies, because the main beneficiaries and those who enjoy these spaces are tourists”, pointed out Miguel Albuquerque, referring that this “transition space” aims to “adapt the business to these conditions”.
For the president of the Regional Government, this modality is preferable to charging a tourist tax, as “the user-pays principle is much easier”.
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