Madeira's Leader Albuquerque Advocated for AL Limits Before CORTEL Controversy

Following today's news in the printed edition of DIÁRIO, titled 'Albuquerque's Rule Would Close Half of Local Accommodations,' the office of the Regional Government Presidency issued a clarification. The note states that the head of the executive had already advocated for limits on the AL business in Madeira before the controversy surrounding the CORTEL cooperative's project.

According to Quinta Vigia, on July 21, during the inauguration of a new local accommodation unit at Rua do Til - the Villa Til Gallery, which resulted from the rehabilitation of a small centenary farm, Miguel Albuquerque "said, within the framework of a set of measures to be adopted in the tourism sector, that it is essential that AL is the result of the rehabilitation of built heritage." He added that "the step that will have to be taken in the city of Funchal is to contain AL in apartment blocks - concerning the quality of life of residents - and to focus AL on the rehabilitation of buildings and central and historic areas."

Meanwhile, on July 25, during the launch of the book Madeira - Tourism 2014 - 2024, this position was again "publicly assumed and reiterated." According to the note from Quinta Vigia, Albuquerque's opinion is "framed in a set of measures aimed at the future of tourism in the Region, to ensure the increasing quality of its offer, and not following the news of July 26 about AL in apartments of the CORTEL cooperative, as pointed out in today's news."

On July 26, the 'Confiança' coalition in CMF and the Bloco de Esquerda denounced that there were fractions of the CORTEL cooperative's project, recently inaugurated near MadeiraShopping, that were operating as local accommodation. A controversial situation, as these are apartments with commercial use but which were licensed and obtained benefits intended for residential use.