After being severely hit by a large number of cancellations due to the pandemic, the Algarve is now hoping to salvage what is left of 2020 by encouraging holidaymakers to book a “last-minute holiday” before the end of the year.
The Algarve Tourism Board is working together with several major airlines in a bid to promote the Algarve as a “perfectly safe destination”, which “will welcome last-minute bookings with open arms”. Says RTA, marketing partnerships have already been struck with British Airways, Eurowings, Ryanair, Easyjet, Air France and Edelweiss.
Campaigns are already underway in some of the Algarve’s main markets, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.
“We want these campaigns to lead to last-minute bookings, a tendency which has been growing significantly due to the current context,” said Algarve tourism boss João Fernandes.
“Many people cancelled or postponed their holidays because of the pandemic and they are the ones we are trying to reach out to by showing that there’s still time to enjoy a holiday in a destination that is totally prepared to welcome tourists with safety, quality and flexibility.”
The tourism chief hopes that the Algarve’s year-round mild climate will be reason enough to convince holidaymakers to visit the region outside of the peak summer season.
“This year, more than ever, dynamising the tourism sector in the months that are usually quieter has become a priority,” he said, referring to the world-class sports events that will be taking place in the Algarve later this year which will “certainly attract many visitors”.
Highlights include the Portugal Masters (September 10-13 – albeit without spectators as per the European Tour’s announcement last week), the ‘F1 Heineken Grand Prix Portugal’ (October 23-25) which will mark the long-awaited return of Formula 1 racing to Portugal after a 24-year absence, and the final round of the 2020 MotoGP season (November 20-22).
The tourism board is also collaborating with travel agencies and tour operators to ‘up the ante’ and spread the word about the Algarve as a “Covid-safe destination for a last-minute holiday”.
