Lagos, Portugal News

A recent peregrination brought me to the harbor of Lagos in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.

Angelina Jolie has been spotted house hunting in the Algarve region of Portugal.

The Algarve boasts numerous fantastic beaches and fishing villages that attract many millions of tourists every year.

FIND A SECLUDED BEACH The Algarve, southern Portugal's balmy riviera, sees nothing but blue sky 300 days of the year.

Dive Time Lagos >> Posted By algarveportugal 23 hours, 53 minutes ago in Sports We are a PADI 5 Star IDC Centre offering courses from beginner to professional and technical diving at our location in Lagos, Algarve, Portugal.

The southern region of Portugal may be known for its abundant golf courses, but it also has plenty of culture and history to offer TEE TIME The Algarve can offer over 500 holes of golf and has a well-deserved reputation for multi-owner properties.

TREASURE chest of heirlooms from pop oddball Michael Jackson's glory days has been opened to the world.

Posters appealing for information regarding the whereabouts of missing girl Madeleine McCann have been torn down in the area of Portugal where she disappeared.

Posters put up in Portugal in the renewed search for missing Madeleine McCann have been torn down and thrown in bins.

Madeleine McCann's parents are to launch a high-intensity new appeal for information tightly focused on the area where she went missing. Over the next two weeks 10,000 leaflets in Portuguese will be handed out and posted in letterboxes in Praia da Luz, Lagos and Burgau in southern Portugal. The campaign will also advertise on billboards, three buses and a van. Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished from a holiday flat in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, on 3 May 2007.

Portugal's ambition of returning to the Formula One world championship with an all-new circuit at Portimão on the Algarve took another step towards fruition this week with the official presentation of the nascent facility - and the revelation that one F1 team has already booked testing time, despite earthworks still to be completed. Although the planned 4.7km Autódromo Internacional do Algarve is not due to be ready until October - when it is slated to open with a round of the World Superbike Championship - circuit director Paulo Pinheiro told Reuters at Monday's presentation that one F1 team had already booked the venue for a pre-season test next January, while talks were in progress with other operations. The operators also revealed ambitions to bring A1GP to the tourist region in coming seasons. “Building works are on schedule," Pinheiro proudly announced at the launch, as he surveyed the latest stage in a seven-year commitment to the project, "In October, the circuit will be completed in order to enable us to inaugurate it with the Superbikes competition. We are also concluding negotiations to host A1GP within our technology park. We are convinced that this project will constitute an asset, not only for the Algarve region, but also for Portugal as a whole.” The presentation was presided over by Portugal's minister of the economy and innovation, Dr Manuel Pinho, the secretary of state for youth and sport, Dr Laurentino Dias, and the mayor of Portimão, Dr Manuel da Luz, who welcomed the initiative, which all hope will raise the identity and economic prosperity of the Algarve. “When this project is completed in late October, I'm certain the number of visitors to our country will increase," Pinho commented, "Whereas we recorded a record level of visitors in 2007, this number is certain to increase in the future as a result of this new asset. This project will have a significant impact on the local economy, and therefore also on the national economy.

Portugal's ambition of returning to the Formula One world championship with an all-new circuit at Portimão on the Algarve took another step towards fruition this week with the official presentation of the nascent facility - and the revelation that one F1 team has already booked testing time, despite earthworks still to be completed. Although the planned 4.7km Autódromo Internacional do Algarve is not due to be ready until October - when it is slated to open with a round of the World Superbike Championship - circuit director Paulo Pinheiro told Reuters at Monday's presentation that one F1 team had already booked the venue for a pre-season test next January, while talks were in progress with other operations. The operators also revealed ambitions to bring A1GP to the tourist region in coming seasons. “Building works are on schedule," Pinheiro proudly announced at the launch, as he surveyed the latest stage in a seven-year commitment to the project, "In October, the circuit will be completed in order to enable us to inaugurate it with the Superbikes competition. We are also concluding negotiations to host A1GP within our technology park. We are convinced that this project will constitute an asset, not only for the Algarve region, but also for Portugal as a whole.” The presentation was presided over by Portugal's minister of the economy and innovation, Dr Manuel Pinho, the secretary of state for youth and sport, Dr Laurentino Dias, and the mayor of Portimão, Dr Manuel da Luz, who welcomed the initiative, which all hope will raise the identity and economic prosperity of the Algarve. “When this project is completed in late October, I'm certain the number of visitors to our country will increase," Pinho commented, "Whereas we recorded a record level of visitors in 2007, this number is certain to increase in the future as a result of this new asset. This project will have a significant impact on the local economy, and therefore also on the national economy.

A new airport, serving the western Algarve, has been given the go-ahead and it is expected to be built near the new international racing circuit, close to Mexilhoeira Grande, in Portimão. Experts at Portugal’s Civil Aviation Authority have given the plans the green light and environmental and financial studies are expected to be completed next month. The new airport is expected to have a wider and longer runway than Faro airport and is one of the top priorities for the Associação de Municípios Lagos-Portimão, the association recently created by the câmaras of these two towns. According to Manuel da Luz, President of Portimão Câmara and of the new Associação de Municípios Lagos-Portimão, the objective is to “attract low cost and private airlines to land in the region so that hotel clients come directly to this specific region”, without the need to use the bus transfer service. António Pina, the new president of the Região de Turismo do Algarve (RTA), the Regional Tourism Board, is also optimistic about the project. “It will complement Faro Airport,” he told The Resident. “I’ve always regarded these local projects as excellent opportunities for tourism development in the Algarve, even when I was Faro’s Civil Governor.” It is hoped the airport will attract both low cost and private airlines and will enable more people to visit the hotels and facilities in this part of the Algarve without any lengthy transfers. According to the new Plano Regional de Ordenamento do Território do Algarve (PROTAL), the regional plan for development in the Algarve, which has already been approved by the Portuguese government, this is one of three new airports planned for the region.

A leading development company in the Algarve is considering legal action against the author or authors of damaging statements posted on various forums and websites over the past week.

On you tube at the moment is a computer generated video of the development in Lagos Algarve of the new avenida due to finish in November 2009. Let us know what you think by going the poll on this page.

Hawaii's Natasha Kai helped the U.S. women's soccer team beat Denmark 2-0 in Lagos, Portugal, yesterday to open the 2009 Algarve Cup

Various sources are reporting that Oceanico resorts in the Algarve Portugal owners of Vilamoura Golf courses has filed for bankruptcy, leaving thousands of homeowners without finished properties, it is estimated that there is a deficit in the accounts that could be as big as 2 billion euro's, due to investments in the Stanford Financial bank, when contacted by the Algarve Resident newspaper, the reporter was told the owners have left the country. However, the directors of the company have issued this reply, "The directors of the OCEÂNICO GROUP wish to make it clear that the recent scurrilous posting regarding Oceânico "resorts" and its alleged filing for bankruptcy are libelous and completely without foundation. The OCEÂNICO GROUP and its subsidiary companies continue to trade successfully and profitably in all operating locations, both within PORTUGAL and other areas. In PORTUGAL, the Belmar Spa & Beach Resort as well as the Amendoeira Golf Resort (phase one), featuring the Faldo and O'Connor 18 holes championship golf courses, will be completed shortly. The group is fully funded from its own resources and via its banking partners and is operating within agreed cash-flows. The group has no association, and has never had an association with the Stanford Financial Bank. The owners of the company have lived in Portugal for many years and continue to do so. Legal advice has been taken regarding the referred posting with civil and criminal action against those involved being considered."

So what are Portugal's Famous Tourist attractions? Portugal is made up of beautiful landscapes and scenery, you can view some of the most interesting and beautiful buildings and places.

Figures released show that Lagos had the biggest percentage drop of 28% in hotel occupancy for January 2009 compared to January 2008. Overall in the algarve the luxury hotel saw a 24% decrease in clients 3 star accomadtion actually saw a 34% increase. The British remain the predominant tourist nationality in the Algarve at 36.3 per cent with the Dutch making up 14 per cent of the total number of tourists in the region in January.