Portugal created the “Clean & Safe” seal to ensure that companies in the sector comply with all hygiene and safety measures, in turn giving more confidence to guests. This “stamp” is awarded on an honorary basis, but sometimes there are inspections. However, most of the time, these audits are done via videoconference and companies are still notified in advance.
“As part of the recent attribution of the 'Clean & Safe' seal to your local accommodation, we have seen this request the telephone contact of the person responsible for it, within eight days, so that we can carry out a verification of the requirements by telephone / online. “. This is an email sent by Turismo de Portugal to a local accommodation, to which ECO had access, which will be inspected shortly. In this case, the audit took place even by telephone call, after which some photographs of the property were requested from the responsible person.
Turismo de Portugal, questioned by ECO, said that it conducts “in coordination with the competent entities, random audits to adhering establishments, in person and also through videoconference or telephone contact”. In the latter case, it reads, "photographs and documents are required that evidence and attest to the fulfillment of the requirements associated with the seal".
President of the Portuguese Hospitality Association (AHP), Raul Martins, estimates that the loss of hotel revenue in 2020 could be more than 3.6 billion euros, a more pessimistic forecast than that made in June.
In an interview with Lusa, Raul Martins, said that the association's estimate is currently in a revenue drop of around 70% this year, which will translate into a higher value than estimated months before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On June 4, AHP Executive President Cristina Siza Vieira said the association estimated revenue losses of between 3.2 and 3.6 billion euros this year, as well as 24.8 to 46.4 euros less million overnight stays.
Now, Raul Martins recalls that, in June, AHP still had the expectation that in the following month “the situation would resume”, but that, however, “there were hotels that were about to open” from July, and that “they did not open , namely in cities ”.
Regarding the help that the domestic market has given this summer to companies in the sector that find themselves deprived of foreign tourists at the level of recent years, the president of the AHP administration admits that the flow of the Portuguese “to many [companies] has saved”.
“It saved in the sense that the losses were contained or there were almost no losses. Note, the Algarve, even more in September than in August - July in that respect did not work much - but in August there was already a reasonable growth in domestic tourism and in September there was, except for an error, more than 30% increase in domestic tourism in the Algarve ”, he said.
"But not only. The entire interior had no increase, there was less reduction, that is to say if last year they had an occupation of 60% this year they had 50%. It is much better than what happened in the cities ”, he added.
And the figures provided by the entity led by Luís Araújo show that the telephone / online route is the most common. Of the 489 audits carried out since April (when the seal was launched), only 47 were in person, that is, less than 10%.
Regarding the fact that companies are notified in advance of these audits, Turismo de Portugal also confirms, but details that “the adhering entities are previously contacted, with about 48 hours in advance, to schedule the audit and, therefore, they are presentation of the internal protocol for Covid-19, to prepare the audit ”.
From these inspections, which can be carried out at the initiative of Turismo de Portugal or due to complaints, five “Clean & Safe” stamps have already been removed: four for tourist developments and one for a local accommodation unit. However, the public entity notes that “generally, companies have strictly complied with the established requirements and have shown a very high degree of implementation of hygiene and cleaning rules”.
This seal - free and valid for one year - is a kind of stamp that distinguishes “tourist activities that ensure compliance with hygiene and cleaning requirements for the prevention and control of Covid-19 and other possible infections”. It can be ordered by all tourist developments, from restaurants to hotels, to tourist entertainment companies and travel agencies.
Since April, when the initiative started, 16,641 tourist stamps have been allocated: 10,050 to local accommodation units, 2,710 to tourist developments, nine to service areas for motorhomes, 1,335 to travel and tourism agencies and 2,537 to entertainment agents tourist.
Image source
Good for your country