The island of Porto Santo is hindering the advancement of new large-scale tourism projects, at a time when demand for the island continues to increase. The position was taken by the mayor, Nuno Batista, who defends more controlled growth, adjusted to the size and capacity of the territory.
With just over 5,200 inhabitants and around 43 square kilometers, the island faces significant pressure every summer, especially in August when the number of people can rise to close to 30,000. According to the news agency, the city hall wants to prevent this scenario from worsening permanently.
Clear boundaries for the territory
For the municipal executive, the available space requires prudent management. Nuno Batista considers that multiplying hotel units along the beach would have a direct impact on the occupation of the territory and the local response capacity.
“Mass tourism will never be our option”, he stated, stressing that the priority is to preserve the island’s balance and avoid mistakes that are difficult to correct in the future.
More quality, less volume
The strategy is to reinforce the image of Porto Santo as a destination of tranquility and not as a place with a large concentration of tourists. According to the same source, the municipality is working to promote the island as a “refuge of senses”, focusing on a more sustainable and differentiated experience. The logic is to capture visitors who return for the experience and not just for the volume of the offer, in a model that favors longer stays and less pressure on resources.
The numbers show that demand remains strong. In 2025, writes Lusa, the island’s 26 hotel units registered 134,731 guests, the majority of whom were Portuguese. For Nuno Batista, this profile confirms the strategy followed until now. “We made a clear option for national and regional tourism”, he explained, highlighting that more than half of the demand continues to come from the domestic market.
Air connection remains unresolved
If containment in construction is a choice, the lack of regular air connections is seen as a structural problem. The mayor once again criticized the lack of annual flights between Porto Santo and the mainland. “We just want the opportunity to have a flight”, he said, arguing that the issue goes beyond tourism and enters the field of territorial cohesion.
The council now wants to move forward with a long-term plan to understand how many people and vehicles the island can support without compromising its sustainability. According to the same source, the idea is to work with concrete data before making future decisions. “Assumption is often the first step to failure”, summarized Nuno Batista, in a phrase that ends up summarizing the strategy: growing, but without losing control.
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