New Toll Solutions For Foreign Drivers on A22

Price of tolls on the A22

Foreign drivers using the A22 toll road will have a smoother method of payment by mid July to avoid scenes of queues seen over Easter in the Algarve.

According to the Portuguese news service Lusa, Estradas de Portugal (EP), the company that runs the roads in Portugal, plan to introduce a new system to allow foreign drivers to pay for tolls with bank cards.

Over the Easter period there were scenes of confusion as people queued along the roads out of their cars to try to pay for the tolls on the A22.

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Poor Easter For Tourism In The Algarve

Santa Luzia beach Algarve

The Easter period in the Algarve is traditionally a popular time for many tourists to come to the region, however this year the Algarve saw a drop in tourist numbers which was reflected in a fall in turnover for hotels.

According to figures from AHETA, the Algarve association of hotels and resorts, the turnover of hotels in the Algarve was down by 17.4% in comparison to the same period last year in 2011.

During April 2012 the occupancy rates of hotels in the Algarve was down by 10.8% compared to April 2011 with occupancy only reaching 46.2% indicating that less than half of all rooms in the Algarve were filled over Easter.

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Algarve Restaurants And Bars Lowering Prices To Attract Trade

Restaurants and Bars in the Algarve

Restaurants and bars in the Algarve are lowering their prices to try and attract an increase in customers as the summer season approaches.

According to a report by the Portuguese news agency Lusa, the restaurants and bars in the Algarve are actively cutting prices of their products to counter the effects of the financial situation currently facing Portugal and Europe as a whole.

Not only have the number of clients visiting bars and restaurants fallen but so to has the amount of money that each customer spends as tourists and residents curb their spending to fit in with wage cuts and the increased costs of living.

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Algarve Tourists Affected By BMI Baby Flight Cancellations

BMI Baby closure affects Algarve

Image by bribriTO

Travellers to the Algarve using BMI Baby will be affected by the cancellation of flights to Faro Airport due to the upcoming closure of the airline.

BMI Baby have announced a raft of cancellations to their flights with the worst affected being those travelling from Belfast airport to a number of destinations in the UK and Europe.

A statement from BMI Baby outlined that there will be a number of routes cancelled firstly from Monday, June 11 this year with the second round of flights to be cancelled from Sunday, September 9.

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Kate And Gerry McCann In “No Doubt” That Madeleine Case Will Be Reopened In Portugal

Missing Madeleline McCann

Today, May 3, marks the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and although it has been years since their daughter first went missing from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve, Kate and Gerry McCann believe that the case will be reopened by Portuguese authorities.

Speaking to the BBC yesterday (May 2) the couple were adamant that now new leads are being followed by the Metropolitan Police Portuguese authorities will reopen the case into the disppearance of their daughter Madeleine McCann.

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May Day Chaos At Pingo Doce Supermarkets Across Portugal

Promotions at Pingo Doce

A promotional campaign by Pingo Doce supermarkets saw thousands of customers flocking to the supermarkets across the Algarve and Portugal yesterday causing chaos and confusion both inside and outside stores.

The supermarket chain offered clients a 50% discount on all products when over €100 was spent in any one transaction.

During these times of economic difficulties many families looking to take advantage of the drastically reduced shopping bills headed off to branches of Pingo Doce around the country.

The stores were forced to close at 6pm yesterday for “safety reasons” as hoards of people queued outside the stores and inside.

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Oil Exploration In The Algarve Questioned

oil rig

Plans to prospect oil and gas off the coast of the Algarve and Alentejo regions have been questioned by the Algarve politician Mendes Bota.

The controversial plans to search for oil and gas off the Algarvian coast have been called into question by Mendes Bota who has formally asked the Portuguese government to provide details of the prospecting rights that are currently being awarded in the case according to the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

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Restaurante Trindade Lagos – Algarve Restaurant Review

"Steak on the stone"This is one of those restaurants that we have been meaning to visit for some time but have not quite got around to it.

My mum and dad are on holiday here and are always telling us about new restaurants they have visited and how nice it has been so we were expecting great things with Restaurante Trindade.

We went just the five of us – Mum, Dad, Me, Dominic and Kyle. When you saw it from the outside it just looks like a scruffy looking café and when you see the lovely seating inside you can’t believe it is the same place.

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Budget Cuts Won’t Stop Fire Fighting In The Algarve

fires in forests

Budget cuts in Portugal will not adversely affect fire fighters in the Algarve this summer according to a spokesman from the Bombeiros.

The unseasonably dry winter in the Algarve has left many worrying that this summer could see an outbreak of fires across the Algarve, however the authorities are confident that they will be able to respond to any fires with the same level as in previous years.

The operational commander for the district of Faro, Abel Gomes, told the Portuguese News Agency Lusa that despite cut backs across the board in Portugal the fire fighting abilities in the Algarve would not be compromised.

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