Two-thirds of the tourists in the Algarve came out of season – Daily News – Lisbon

In the first ten months of the year, there were over 1.3 million overnight stays in the region, 65% out of the times traditional. Portuguese tourism continues to break records. Total revenues are already above the 2015 entire

Income, overnight stays, capacity, air, whatever the indicator, Portugal continues to hit record-breaking tourism. But the numbers for October give account of one extraordinary fact: the seasonality is blurring, with more and more tourists to visit the country outside of the times traditional. What is particularly notable in the Algarve.

on The way from Faro to launch the FormAlgarve – “program of support for the creation of qualified employment, with contractual relations more stable and that promotes the improvement of competitiveness and productivity of the sectors most affected by the seasonality in the region” – the secretary of State for Tourism has the numbers present. “We’re getting great growth out of the months usual, and this was reflected in the remarkable results. Just in the month of October, revenues grew by 22% in the Algarve. And, in the first nine months of the year, there were over 1.3 million overnight stays in the region by 2015 which represents a growth rate three times higher than last year – 65% out of season.” To the that have contributed to the “36 new air operations this year, only to the Algarve”, stresses Ana Mendes Godinho.

For the ruler, these findings reveal the work done. Including the investment in the capability of diversification of markets that allowed us to capture more 81% of the French, over 69% of brazilians, more than 60% of Italian and 28% of americans to the Algarve in the first ten months of this year.

Assuming a “continuity light” of the policies of his predecessor in the folder, Adolfo Mesquita Nunes, the maintenance of the work of promotion of Portugal in the digital media and invitations to foreign journalists to come and get to know the country, the current secretary of State noted what you have done differently. “We are communicating better and this has had an effect on premiums,” he says, comparing the 151 that the country received in the past year with the 471 this year. Also highlights the “great roadshow” in the United States, where the Tourism of Portugal joined TAP, taking advantage of the doubling of flights to us destinations. “There is still a large work in the field, with the presence in fairs and foreign operators”, specifies.

To solidify this trend, which is not unique to the Algarve but before it extends to the whole country, the government wants to put several areas to work together to reposition the one and the other tourist destinations with new proposals. At the cultural level, for example, has prepared a program that extends between October and may, and that has one thousand events in the Algarve. “There are things engraçadíssimas, as the cinema in the churches, and has been superelogiado.”

About the total numbers released by the INE on Thursday, Ana Mendes Godinho does not have any questions. “The results are completely fantastic. It is evident by the values of October that we will have another record-breaking year. In income, we have overcome the total of last year.” The total revenue between January and October of this year set-up of 2.6 thousand million euros, a 19.8% from that recorded in the last whole year.

Numbers that the secretary of State justifies this by three factors: “The increased capacity the air, having managed to attract new routes and earn 750 thousand new places; the great diversification of source markets of tourists who visit us; and the clear product diversification to different segments throughout the year.” And exemplifies with the case of the americans, who travel throughout the year, and of the Dutch, who are seeking different products, very related to nature and heritage.

The ruler admits that Portugal is still benefiting from the effects of the instability in North Africa and the insecurity even of some other destinations in europe, but underlines that the country has been able to leverage that advantage better than destinations competitors. “We are the country of the Mediterranean’s fastest-growing.”

Now, the goal is to solidify the work done, ensuring that the tourism activity extends throughout the year and that there are flights that serve this ambition. And this equation must have financial instruments such as investment support for qualification of the tourism offer of 60 million euros, which was launched at the beginning of the first quarter and that is executed at 50%. Numbers that may gain prominence in the coming times, believes the ruler, once that Portugal is internationally touted as the destination to invest in tourism in the coming years.

Also the valorisation of human resources is a priority for the secretary of State – and their presence yesterday evening in Faro to launch the FormAlgarve is one such example. “What we want is that the structures can take advantage of the low season for valuing its staff, providing the conditions in the schools and putting them to work in conjunction with the IEFP.”