Paulo Macedo thinks it’s foolish to ask if we need more migrants – Turismo & Leisure

The president of the executive committee of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), Paulo Macedo, defended on Thursday the need for more migrants in sectors such as tourism where there is a shortage of about 40,000 workers.

“To answer the ridiculous question of whether we need migrants, it is clear that we need them,” said Paulo Macedo at the opening of the “Encontro Fora da Caixa” organized by Caixa Geral de Depósitos to foster debate on the challenges of transformation, opportunities and global trends in the tourism sector.

The sector, which “already employs 120,000 migrants, is missing 40,000 workers,” the CGD CEO pointed out, highlighting the importance of demographics as a decisive factor in the sector.

For a sector that has “increasing dynamism” in terms of foreign investment, “demographics are important”, and also finds opportunities “in inclusion policies because “apart from the social logic”, there is no doubt in Paulo Macedo that “greater inclusion, distribution and giving greater purchasing power, favors consumption and clearly favors the economy”.

In Alcobaça, where the meeting is being held, the president of the executive committee of Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) stated that “this sector has great potential for growth and can boost the country’s economy,” but warned of the importance of investing in the country’s economic sustainability, social sustainability and environmental sustainability.

In addition to “increasing revenues”, at the economic level, sustainability will include increasing tourist flows throughout the region and “not concentrating this demand on the coast only”.

Regarding social sustainability, Paulo Macedo advocated year-round tourism activity, but also increasing the educational qualifications of professionals in the sector.

Finally, in the area of ​​environmental sustainability, he highlighted the demand of current tourism consumers for offerings that focus on the circular economy, sustainable construction and efficient use of resources.

On the day the European Central Bank decided, “as was somewhat expected”, to maintain interest rates, Paulo Macedo stressed that this was also “a growth issue that concerns companies and individuals”, but, he concluded, the country’s tourism sector “actually has a competitiveness factor, which almost no other sector has” and which could confirm the country as an “international hub”.