PORTUGAL IN FOCUS
secret trade
seller year-round. The Algarve offers wonderful sandy beaches and top-notch winter golf; the Alentejo and Azores are unspoilt and unexplored regions; Madeira’s sub-tropical climate offers year-round activities; and cities like Lisbon, Oporto, Coimbra and Evora are UNESCO cultural gems. The Algarve Tourism Board has this
W
year drafted in locals to tell visitors what the Algarve has to offer. The initiative is part of its £2.6 million ‘Algarve: Europe’s Most Famous Secret’ campaign. It is also using email, social media marketing and print advertising – and it seems to be working.
The Algarve saw a 4.5 per cent increase
in British tourists in the first quarter of the year, reversing a 6.8 per cent decline in arrivals in 2009 when the region received 3.6 million visitors, which was 1.8 million fewer than the previous year. Madeira, too, ran a widespread
national press and TV campaign to stimulate sluggish sales following the flooding in Funchal in February. Although some operators criticised the response as 'too late', slowly bookings have picked up. Madeira itself is reported to have recovered quickly from the devastation through the hard work of an entire community pulling together. The Association of Tour Operators to Portugal (ATOP) is focusing on training and educationals to the Azores and Alentejo and a ‘Perfectly Priced’ advertising campaign run in conjunction with the Portuguese Tourist Office.
Portugal What's New
According to Algarve Tourism Board president Nuno Aires the Algarve has
Above: An Algarve bay Left: São Miguel Island, the largest island in the Azores
Push the beaches: The Algarve has one for everyone – sheltered
golden sands for families and ripping curlers for surfers on the west coast
Raise a toast: For wine buffs suggest a Douro cruise, Porto city break
or a fly-drive of the Alentejo or Minho
Big up the culture: Highlight the range of UNESCO-heritage breaks available to Oporto, Evora or Sintra
Go alternative: Faro and the Ria Formosa provide great weekend breaks
Rave about the nightlife: Great clubs and bars stay open until dawn at
the Alcantara docks in Lisbon `
ith so many diverse regions and islands on offer Portugal is a strong
Marketing initiatives designed to put Portugal and Madeira at the forefront of holidaymakers’ booking plans are helping to boost visitor numbers, says Kathryn Liston
plans for 20 new spas, 27 new five- and four-star hotels and 18 new golf courses, which will leave the drawing board before the end of 2012.” Hotels opening in the Algarve this year include the five-star Palmares Resort in Lagos, Real Marina Hotel & Spa in Olhao, Crowne Plaza Vilamoura and the boutique Hotel Martinhal in the Costa Vicentina National Park. Jet2 has added options for Scottish agents with thrice-weekly flights from Edinburgh to Faro this summer. In Porto, the luxury Yeatman Hotel opened in Gaia port district in June offering 12 suites, 70 bedrooms, a Vinotherapie® Spa and weekly wine
42 Autumn 2010 •
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