IF you can have too much of a good thing, then Portugal may have had enough of sun-and-sea holidays.
Portuguese Trade and Tourism Office head of tourism Mario Ferreira said:”We need to keep promoting beach breaks and attract more visitors, but we also need to develop niche markets.”
These markets include winter holidays, golf, city breaks, short breaks and conference and incentive travel.
“We have appointed a member of staff and set a promotional budget for each separate niche,” said Ferreira.
Portugal has plenty to offer these markets but the tourist office will have its work cut out in promoting them over the Algarve. Despite the fact that 1.7m visitors are expected from the UK in 1999 it is thought 80% of them will have chosen summer-sun breaks in the Algarve over any alternatives.
Cresta Spain and Portugal brand manager Ian Lomas pointed out that this need not be the case. He said UK visitors taking city breaks to Lisbon are up 11% in 1999 – although exact figures were not available – and the average short-stay duration is now four nights, up from three.
With Madeira’s warm weather guarantee, winter breaks are likely to be the most successful of the niche markets.
Cadogan’s dedicated Madeira 2000 brochure features seven new properties. Seven nights’ bed and breakfast in the winter months at the four-star Dom Pedro Baia in Machico leads in at £349.
Golf is the other ace up Portugal’s sleeve. Airtours offers golfing packages through the David Leadbetter Academy at Pestana in the Algarve. With lead-in prices of £619, £659 and £579, the packages cater for beginner, intermediate and advanced players and include seven nights’ bed and breakfast at a four-star hotel.
But the importance of the Algarve remains.
Cadogan Holidays Portugal product manager Gary David said:”It succeeds because it offers great beaches and good value for money.”
Cadogan offers a summer lead-in price of £670 for seven nights’ bed and breakfast at the the five-star Meridian Penina.
Villas in the Algarve are the mainstay of Style Holidays’ programme. It launched its Portugal Summer 2000 brochure two months early in July with a 20% increase in capacity and added volume from Stansted, Glasgow, Birmingham and Bristol airports. The second edition is out this month, featuring several new properties. Summer 2000 prices lead in at £259 for seven nights, based on nine sharing. As with all of Style’s villa holidays, the price includes a hire car.