Madness: cutting down on tourism

Projection:  Sector recommends external promotion
It is good the government knows better
Who dared write this magazine?
Oops - the government...

Pure madness.  The government is cutting down (hat tip: portugal daily view) on support for the single largest viable industry in Portugal with a possibly bright future:  Tourism has the possibility to grow to 15% of GDP the next years.

The sub-minister of tourism (belonging to the über-ministry of economy) using the reverse logic and defeatism known from the ministry of parliamentary affairs (the one asking young people to emigrate) announces:

State Secretary for Tourism Cecília Meirelessaid that the government’s tourism promotion agency would face a 30% budget cut worth about €230 million in 2012.

However she gave assurances that a smaller budget would not affect tourism investment and promotion.

They must live in an alternative reality.  I am waiting for them to ask the tourists to leave us alone.  The raised VAT levied on most tourism is of course an indirect invitation to do so.

In fact she may be right concerning her assurance as the promotion is close to zero anyways.  The investment will probably soon approach zero because of the bureaucratic program of sabotage: also known as anti tourism, anti investment and anti business in general.