By Michael Baginski/ The Visit Portugal Roadshow rolls into Vancouver today (Oct. 23) after stops in Toronto and Montreal earlier in the week, giving over 300 travel advisors and tour operators a chance to catch up on the latest news from one of travel’s bona fide “it” destinations, and one that is particularly popular with Canadians.
Taking place for the first time since before COVID (and arrival of dynamic Visit Portugal Canadian director Ines Almeida Garrett) the roadshow events feature over 20 hotels, DMCs, and regional representatives from Portugal, along with reps from Air Canada, Transat, SATA Azores Airlines, and TAP Air Portugal, all of which offer direct air service to the destination from Canada.
Also on hand (in Toronto) were Portuguese consul general Ana Luisa Riquito and director of Portugal Trade & Invest Luis Sequeira.
Speaking to the audience at the gala dinner at the Hotel X in Toronto, which followed an afternoon of round-table presentations for agents (and, earlier in the day, tour operators), Riquito noted that 2024 was a record year for Portugal with more than 30 million visitors.
But, she added, “Beyond the numbers, what’s important is how welcoming and genuine we are. It’s not a cliché that we say people arrive as guests and leave as friends.”
During the dinner, which included Portuguese wine, and of course, famed Belem custard tarts for deserts, there was also a unique Fado performance and plenty of prizes for attendees.
Almeida Garrett told Travel Industry Today that Canada is one of Portugal’s fastest-growing markets, and one in which “word of mouth” is a welcome – and the best, “most satisfying” kind of – driver of interest.
Anecdotally, she agreed, everyone seems to know someone who is going to, or has recently visited, Portugal – as she pulled out her phone to show holiday photos that a travel industry friend who was currently in destination had sent her.
“There’s a lot of curiosity about Portugal,” she enthused, adding, “and for Portugal’s companies this is becoming a very important marketplace.”
That’s not least because Canadians tend to travel year-round to the destination, she said – a chicken and the egg scenario thanks to year-round flight offerings.
While a significant number of travellers will always travel during the peak summer travel period, Canadians are increasingly going for long-stays (including snowbirds) and remote work, or simply to visit during the off season when crowds are fewer and prices (for flights and accommodation) are reduced.
And, not to be discounted, to enjoy warm winter temperatures as Canada shivers.
Many Canadians are also repeat visitors, she noted, and having seen Lisbon and the main sites, choose to get off-the-beaten track and discover hidden gems. Or add the spectacular mid Atlantic Azores or Madeira islands to the trip, or as a standalone. (A year ago, ACTA held its annual international conference in the Azores).
Indeed, a half dozen regional representatives, from Porto in the north to the Algarve in the south, and interior Alentejo (east of the river from Lisbon to the Spanish border), citied amazing beaches and coastlines, postcard pretty towns, breathtaking rural landscapes, UNESCO sites, and activities from hiking and cycling to dolphin watching as highlights – not to mention the many varied wine and gastronomic regions.
And no matter where visitors go, the people are very friendly, Almeida Garrett added.
“Portugal’s really authentic, and you can do it your own way,” she concluded. “It’s a really special place for Canadians.”
If this article was shared with you by a friend or colleague, you may enjoy receiving your own copy of Travel Industry Today with the latest travel news and reviews each weekday morning. It’s absolutely free – just CLICK HERE.