Economy
Although characterized as a "small fishing community", its move towards the tourist market has driven its growth since the 1990s. Influenced by its white, fine sand beaches, natural rock-cliff shores, seculeded coves and warm temperatures (water temperatures reaching a minimum 15°C), the local economy absorves a constant number of summer visitors and foreign vacationers. During the summer the population increases ten-fold with visitors, who occupy vacation homes, rented apartments and campgrounds, helped by the classification of many of its beaches as Blue Flag beaches, including the popular Praia do Espingardeiro, Praia Pequena and Praia dos Buizinhos. In front of the island of Pessegueiro is one of the more popular beaches, attracting windsurfers, boaters and sport fishermen to the waters off the coast. Alongside the beach of Pessegueiro is the 17th century fortrees, partily destroyed by the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. On the island of Pessegueiro, which inspired the contemporary musician Rui Veloso to pen a composition, is another 17th-century fortress, the ruins of a Roman porto and 15th century chapel. These have also attracted visitors, as boats regularly visit the island for visits, or fishing around its waters.
Read more about this topic: Porto Covo
Famous quotes containing the word economy:
“Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them.... for really new ideas of any kind—no matter how ultimately profitable or otherwise successful some of them might prove to be—there is no leeway for such chancy trial, error and experimentation in the high-overhead economy of new construction. Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings.”
—Jane Jacobs (b. 1916)
“The aim of the laborer should be, not to get his living, to get “a good job,” but to perform well a certain work; and, even in a pecuniary sense, it would be economy for a town to pay its laborers so well that they would not feel that they were working for low ends, as for a livelihood merely, but for scientific, or even moral ends. Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical terms.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)