The entrepreneurial association of São Miguel and Santa Maria islands asserts that expanding access to Vila Franca do Campo island can help diversify the tourism offering and combat seasonality.
The association believes that Vila Franca do Campo island, which is one of the iconic sites of São Miguel due to its high natural, ecological, and tourist value, can be used more broadly throughout the year, provided meteorological and safety standards are observed.
In its statement, the entrepreneurial association emphasized that the possibility of extending the use of this outstanding resource will help increase its value and counteract seasonality by strengthening the available offering in months with lower tourist demand.
Outside the swimming season, CCIPD proposes two complementary options for use. The first option will maintain a logic similar to the current model but with reduced frequency, providing two daily trips if weather and safety permit.
The second option involves creating a new tourism product based on the experience format. Under this model, a trip to the island can be integrated into activities that include travel, site visits and study, as well as interpretation of its natural, historical, and ecological features, followed by a return to Vila Franca do Campo. This excursion can be accompanied by a guide.
CCIPD also notes that private marine tourism companies operate year-round, not just during the high season, which proves the existence of demand and operational capacity for marine products outside the summer months.
The association insists on the need to evaluate solutions that allow Vila Franca do Campo island to be included in the tourism offering available for a longer period. According to CCIPD, the goal is not to resume exclusively swimming use outside of summer, but to adapt the product to the characteristics of each season, combining visitation, enjoyment, interpretation, and preservation of the territory.
Subject to conditions, the experience may also include the possibility of swimming. It is emphasized that any model must take into account the permissible load on the island, weather conditions, safety requirements, and environmental protection standards.
The association also argues that broader and properly structured use of this iconic site can enhance the quality of the tourist experience on São Miguel island and serve as another tool to combat the destination's seasonality.
Vila Franca do Campo island, classified as a nature reserve and part of the Natura 2000 network, was prohibited for swimming in the summer of 2025 due to five-year water quality analysis results; only visitation was permitted, but it reopened for the 2026 swimming season.
During the current swimming season, maritime transport between the Vila Franca do Campo pier and the island operates under the previous regime managed by the local Marine Club, with a daily capacity of 400 people and 200 people simultaneously in the crater center.