Theme Park.

nightrider · Post by **nightrider** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 2:02 am

Isobel Soares, Silves Mayor during a recent meeting for business women stated that the idea in principal has now been accepted for a theme park and as Martin and I suspected looks like the waste land between Algoz and the roundabout towards Albuferia on the EN125. Whilst one has to agree that tourists may enjoy such a park and it will of course create many jobs, all of which good. Nevertheless, one cannot but feel for the Portuguese families surrounding this area. I and others are also concerned with the volume of traffic that will be brought into this somewhat quiet area and the present somewhat dangerious single road from Algoz to the EN125. Also in this area, is the Oceanic Development. One can only but wonder where all the "water" is going to come from to service such mega developments. A real, real concern and as one Portuguese scientist has stated, the way things are going in the Algarve with over development, it is going to end up a desert. I of course sincerely hope not.

Martin, whilst on the subject of development......coming down the hill into Silves with the Colina M Hotel on your right.....just before the hotel there seems to be some form of an animal compound....any knowledge of what it is or rather going to be

Nightrider

tbbr · Post by **tbbr** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 8:22 am

15,000 registered unemployed in the algarve, probably thousands more moving into the area each summer looking for work.
Portugal desperate for overseas investment.
I am afraid that in the broader scheme of things there is no arguement.

And NO I would n,t want to live near a theme park either, but if I had a young family to support and few job prospects I would be first in line.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 8:53 am

no dont know anything about a compound, will check it out.

martin

nightrider · Post by **nightrider** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:38 pm

tbbr wrote:15,000 registered unemployed in the algarve, probably thousands more moving into the area each summer looking for work.
Portugal desperate for overseas investment.
I am afraid that in the broader scheme of things there is no arguement.

And NO I would n,t want to live near a theme park either, but if I had a young family to support and few job prospects I would be first in line.

TBBR,
I thought that you and others might be interested in the following:-
Updated: 03 March 2006 The Resident.Algarve

Quality exports are Portugal’s answer to success

PORTUGAL HAS a short window of opportunity to modernise and gain competitive parity with its average-sized European Union neighbours, economist Ernâni Lopes told the second Congress of Modern Commerce last week. He added that the country has between 10 to 20 years to catch up or be relegated to the European “dustbin of mediocrity”.
The former Finance Minister (1983-1985) told company bosses that the country didn’t have long to avoid being in a situation of “permanent degradation” and “mediocre survival” in which it would prove difficult to develop and move forward.
Talking in macroeconomic terms, the economist said that companies needed to up the quality of its exports abroad in order to compete with other emerging competitors, paying more attention to products, quality production, cost effectiveness, competitiveness and productivity.
As to the role of the state, he said it wasn’t just a question of reducing the government’s public deficit budget, but also its export deficit, as exports keep falling.
Eduardo Catroga, also a former Finance Minister (1994-1995), said that an economic miracle was still possible. The state needed to slim down its public spending from 48-50 per cent GNP at present to a competitive level of 40 per cent minimum, while exports needed to rise at least seven per cent in the coming years

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:53 pm

O dont be silly..the Portuguese will never be able to run an efficient competitive economy...having lived and worked here for years...It is painfully obvious..

nightrider · Post by **nightrider** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 7:03 pm

OH GUEST, Ye of little faith.
Nightrider

tbbr · Post by **tbbr** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 7:09 pm

As our plans start to become concrete * not literaly yet ) it has surprised us how little of products used in construction are manufactured in Portugal.

It appears that most of the floor and wall tiles are imported, as are kitchens , appliances etc.
Portugal does export high quality door panels.
Clearly lack of investment or capacity in the past has allowed this dominance by overseas manufacturers.

Guest1 · Post by **Guest1** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 7:18 pm

But then no one in the UK makes anything these days either. Everyone is either a hairdresser or a financial adviser.[/u]

nightrider · Post by **nightrider** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:47 pm

Guest1 wrote:But then no one in the UK makes anything these days either. Everyone is either a hairdresser or a financial adviser.[/u]

Hi Guest1,
Well I cant argue with what you correctly say. In so far as Portugal is concerned, I have carried out a little on what it Imports and actually Exports. Portugal as you are no doubt aware is small in size..... yet it has a large foreign trade......it's total imports (primarily food and beverages, wheat, crude oil, machinery, automobiles and raw materials) have been greater than total exports (of which the most important are textiles, clothing, footwear, paper pulp, wine, cork and tomato paste).....Portugal's prinicpal trading partners are Britain, Germany, France and other EC countries.

maddi · Post by **maddi** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 2:18 pm

Some basic stats which both strengthen and weaken the debate

Exports

UK rank 5th - worth $347,200,000,000.00

Portugal rank 42nd - worth $37,680,000,000.00

offsetting imports of

UK rank 5th - worth $439,400,000,000.00

Portugal rank 34 - worth $52,100,000,000.00

Unfortunately it would appear that both nations run a trading deficit - the UK's at 26.5% and Portugal's at 38%.

Maddi