The Sanctuary of Fátima's rector, Carlos Cabecinhas, endorsed Santarém as the site for the future international airport, arguing that it is the greatest option for the millions of pilgrims and tourists that come to visit Fátima and the central region of Portugal each year. As he defended, “For the Sanctuary, the Santarém hypothesis is the one that most pleases.”

The rector also mentioned how concerned he is that “the remaining options move the airport away from the Central Region and Fátima”, emphasising that the Sanctuary “will continue to monitor this process, always with the aim of defending the best options for Fátima”. Last year, more than 6.8 million people visited the Sanctuary, which according to Carlos Cabecinhas justifies the need for an airport in Santarém.

In the opening session of the International Religious Tourism Workshops, the new airport was also a topic under discussion, with Luís Albuquerque, the mayor of the Chamber of Ourém stating that “the construction of the new airport in Santarém constitutes an opportunity to boost tourist and economic activity for the region and the country.” Along the same line, Anabela Freitas, vice-president of the Regional Tourism Entity of Central Portugal, argued that “it would be in the Centre of Portugal that the airport structure should be built, to serve tourism and, also, to contribute to territorial cohesion.”

More than 260 international buyers and suppliers from the tourism sector, from 40 countries are going to participate in the International Workshops organized by the president of ACISO (Business Association Ourém-Fátima), Purificação Reis. This edition's workshop agenda includes around 5,000 brief interactions/meetings amongst agents within the industry. The initiative's goals are to strengthen the importance of religious tourism in the context of the global tourist industry, foster a network of commercial ties among participants, and position Portugal as a preferred destination for religious tourism abroad.