There are only two ways to get to Madeira:

• by air to the only airport on Madeira Island FNC
  
• by boat to Funchal Harbour

Prior to FNC - Madeira Airport - opening in 1964, PXO - Porto Santo Airport - was the closest airport, operational since 1959 and visitors would transfer to Madeira by boat.

Since 1995 PXO airport boasts a 3006m runway and since 2000, FNC airport boasts a 2781m runway both capable accepting any civil avaiation aircaraft.

Both FNC airport and Funchal harbour have demonstrated growth over the years, with the distinctive characteristics that passengers at Funchal harbour are cruise visitors who the majority do not stay overnight and therefore classified as "excursionists".

<insert data: passenger evolution at FNC / PXO / Funchal harbour>

The purpose of this blog is to collect opinions, publish articles which we find relevant and be a working document to contribute to the Madeira Tourism Strategy 2012.

Much of the structure of the Madeira Tourism Strategy 2012 will be based on New Zealand 2015 Tourism Strategy.