Tourism Team - United Kingdom

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The team develops a set of activities aimed at the British trade and press, with a view to promoting Portugal as a destination and supporting the commercial action of Portuguese tourism companies. With a strong focus on the detection of commercial opportunities, it contributes to the visibility and reputation of the destination, with knowledge-based action, through a constant search for technical information and connection to knowledge networks.

Given the diversity of distribution channels, it is important that Portuguese companies define and focus on their product and promotion strategy. It is a very competitive market and one that is sought after by destinations all over the world, and is therefore resistant to commercial contacts. An approach that includes stand-out and complex products​is likely to be a successful one. 
It is worth noting that UK companies are expanding strongly into other markets, such as the USA, Germany and Australia, so a contact with a company in the United Kingdom could potentially have positive repercussions. 

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The profile of the UK tourist in Portugal is diverse, including couples, solo travellers, Meetings and Incentives (MI) and traditionally many families. The product of most interest to families is Sun and Sea. Couples, however, have branched out beyond that and are now looking at the other types of tourism offered by Portugal, including city breaks, wine tourism, active tourism (walking and cycling), literary tourism and wellness. The highest demand for these products comes from empty nesters, who do not have to restrict their travel to school holidays and have more disposable income. The silver tourism segment, as it is known, is becoming increasingly important. 
Golf is a segment that continues to be in high demand, especially in the Algarve, in low season. While online distribution continues to gain popularity for Portugal, traditional package bookings maintain a strong position in the main segments, especially due to the diversity and complexity they present today. 
 ​​​Habits are changing and this is true of families too, who are now keen to travel during school holiday periods other than the traditional summer holidays. People’s reasons for travelling are becoming more diverse and this is increasingly important for Portugal due to demand outside the traditional peak season and because of the greater complexity of the products offered, leading to higher spending. Climate change has also had an impact, causing potential tourists to travel outside the summer season per se. The Meetings and Incentives market also shows good potential thanks to the large numbers of major companies and organisations.​​​​

celina.tavares@turismodeportugal.pt

tel.: 00442072016666

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_ José Aragão - Product Manager

jose.aragao@turismodeportugal.pt

tel: 00442072016666