“According to the research that the Portuguese Hotel Association carried out with its members, in the case of the Azores, we estimate an occupancy rate of around 70 to 80% for these Easter periods”, said the delegate in the Azores of the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP), Andreia Pavão.

Regarding the main markets at this time of year, they are the national, Spanish, North American and German markets.

According to the person in charge, this is a time of "high season, with a lot of demand" for the Azorean destination.

"At Easter, we are already entering the IATA summer period and there are a number of direct flight accesses to the archipelago that have already been reinstated and we have been in line with last year," Andreia Pavão told Lusa news agency.

The delegate in the Azores of the Portuguese Hotel Association said that the archipelago continues, however, "to deal with the issue of seasonality".

"There is a huge difference in performance during the months of April to October, compared to the IATA winter period, from November to March. And, with no accessibility, there is a substantial reduction in demand and overnight stays and this is reflected in the prices that are charged and in the large fluctuation that exists between summer and winter", he explained.

On the other hand, and according to Andreia Pavão, the challenges in terms of a lack of labour in the sector remain, increasing the need to resort to recruiting workers from abroad.