Priyanka Saxena Ray
Just like the rest of the world, Portugal too must have experienced a dip in tourism in 2020 – 2021. What were the coping mechanisms put in place to handle the situation?
With a significant decline in international travel over the last two years, the tourist industry has faced major difficulties. In 2019, we were witnessing a significant rise of Indian tourists, but suddenly, as a result of the pandemic, all operations came to an abrupt halt. Throughout that time, we made sure to keep promoting Portugal to the trade. In order for the trade partners to be ready to start marketing Portugal when tourism does start, it was our intention to use this time to educate the trade partners. To help with all the information one may require about our destination, we have developed our own E-Learning module that has been specially curated for the Indian trade partners. With the help of itinerary builder, the travel agent can also make the itinerary and can save it for future references. We had a lot of virtual destination presentations, and I’m delighted to say that we’re receiving a lot of inquiries about travel. All of this helped to raise the awareness of the destination and the fact that we are here in India to assist travel industry professionals.
Currently, has tourism picked up in Portugal? By when do you think you will be able to go back to the 2019 figures?
Guests and overnight stays exceeds 2019 levels in Portugal. The tourist accommodation sector registered 3.0 million guests and 8.6 million overnight stays in July 2022, corresponding to year-on-year rates of change of +85.4% and +90.1%, respectively (+97.6% and +110.7% in June, in the same order). Compared to July 2019, there were increases of 6.3% and 4.8%, respectively. In July, the domestic market contributed with 2.9 million overnight stays (+9.1%) and the external markets amounted to 5.7 million (+205.2%). Compared to July 2019, the domestic market grew by 15.8% and external markets reached the same level as in 2019. In the first seven months of 2022, overnight stays increased by 194.3% (+58.5% in residents and +406.2% in non-residents). Compared to the same period in 2019, overnight stays decreased by 4.4% (-9.4% for non-residents and +7.8% for residents).
How many Indian tourists visit Portugal? Are you happy with this number?
Prior to the pandemic, there was a rise in the number of Indians visiting Portugal, and we anticipated a significant growth. In 2019, India positioned itself as the 29th largest foreign demand market for Portugal, measured both by the overnight stays’ indicator (0.3% share) and 28th when evaluated by the guest indicator. (0.4% share).The market was responsible for 72.500 guests and 159.000 overnight stays, registering a growth of 37.0% in guests and an increase of 17.5% in overnight stays compared to the previous year (2018). In terms of tourism receipts, we had a 34.4% increase from India. We do see an interest and fast recovery from the Indian market towards Portugal. Within the first semester of 2022 compared to 2019 when evaluated by guest indicator, despite being too far from the potential of growth we could be having and welcoming Indian tourists, only -32%, whereas in overnight stays – 25,1%. These indicators do show us that Portugal is a destination that is very suitable for the Indian market and connectivity from the Middle East, any Hub or European capital works very well, until we have our direct flight.
What are the various initiatives / marketing strategies being adapted by you to increase this number?
India is a big source market for us, and in the upcoming year, we plan to enhance our marketing activities here. We have a ton of events scheduled for the following months, including the trade webinar and networking events. We are also organizing the agenda for our FAM tour and are excited to host the trade agents and media from India. Additionally, we have already participated in notable occasions like MILT and ITB India. Our goal remains to provide destination knowledge to trade partners and to raise destination awareness within the industry, as Portugal is still a niche or new destination to many. Portugal Expert E-Learning course is available, providing trade partners with a certification and tourism expertise about the destination. I will continue to travel within India (recently been to Mumbai and Bangalore) and meet our partners and respective teams in their offices. Portugal is already one of the most approached destinations by international travellers, with 7 regions within easy reach Madeira, Azores, Alentejo, Algarve, Lisbon region Porto and the North. We are a country of contrasts with such heritage, diversity and inclusiveness, warm hospitality, and mild weather. We invite Indian travellers to discover Portugal.
Which are the top 5 inbound markets for Portugal?
Visitors from Spain, made up the largest portion of all arrivals in July. Followed by the United Kingdom and the United States, which has recently marked a surge and became a key source of tourism to Portugal. We have very loyal markets in general like Germany, France, Brazil and many other source markets in Europe which are growing like Poland, Ireland and even markets like Australia.
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