Weary Flyingfish Square Chickadee definitely political... And I think the region would actually profit, the eastern Algarve and southwestern Spain have lots of interesting areas, from beaches for surfing to natural reserves. Sure, there are also the "Mar de plástico" of vegetable farms, but there could be more sustainable tourism if you could reach the region more easily by train. If you have to rent a car, you stay in the usual tourist hot spots like Albufeira and make day trips, congesting the roads...