After a robust winter which saw the number of UK visitors to Portugal increase 6% year on year, operators can look forward to a steady 2000 for the destination.
Portuguese Trade and Tourism Office head of tourism M rio Ferreira said:”For the year ending 2000, we should be looking at growth of between 3%-6%, which is in line with our expectations. We prefer this kind of growth to peaks and troughs.”
New flights such as TAP’s route from Gatwick to Lisbon and GB Airways’ Heathrow-Porto service reflect a growing market, confirmed by the addition of World Sky offshoot Portugal Sky to the market. Capacity increases from the likes of Style Holidays and Magic Travel are also indicative of Portugal’s appeal.
After a terrible year for Turkey, World Sky holidays managing director Akin Koc decided further expansion was essential. “We chose Portugal because it is an upmarket destination, not too commercial but with year-round potential thanks to Madeira,” said Koc. “The golfing niche was also an advantage.”
Portugal Sky’s brochure is initially focused on the boom markets of the Algarve and Madeira which, despite the tourist office’s best efforts to attract more visitors to the north of the country, still dominate most operators’ programmes and attract more than 80% of UKvisitors.
JMC is currently the only operator out of the big four which offers the north, although the region is slowly becoming a destination in its own right. JMC’s sales for northern Portugal are up 23% year on year, despite the fact that the £335 lead-in price compares less favourably with the £194 price tag for Algarve.
As Portugal’s popularity increases, so its visitors become more diverse. Once the domain of golfers and empty-nesters, some operators have noticed an increase in traffic from families and younger travellers.
The Individual Travellers Company has seen an increase in sales of 50% year on year. Marketing director Owen Davies said: “Portugal is getting more popular with families, young couples and friends who may have considered going to Spain instead.”
But what Portugal offers above Spain is a wide range of accommodation. The Individual Travellers Company offers self-catering breaks in everything from villas with pools to farmhouses and rustic cottages, with a two-week lead-in of £677. The price, excluding flights, is not charged on a per person basis.
Portugal’s other main strength is its sporting appeal, particularly for golf in the Algarve. Most operators cater for this market – Cadogan has a range of learn-to-play packages for those who managing director Gary David described as “not quite in the Tiger Woods league”.
The four-day learning package costs £119 and can be sold as a bolt-on to any other Cadogan holiday.
All of the country’s strengths are summed up in its current £1m advertising campaign, with the slogan ‘Warm by Nature’. According to Ferreira, the campaign, launched at last year’s World Travel Market has been well received by the trade.
Currently running in the national press, it will focus on the Algarve until the end of February, then Lisbon for March and April, then Madeira and the Algarve again for September, October and November.
“It is too early to tell how effective the campaign has been,” said Ferreira. “January was a busy month, however, this is natural. It is hard to say how much of this we can put down to the ads.”