TRITON TRAVEL, the independent UK travel agents’ group, has chosen the Algarve to host its second annual conference next spring. Around 1,000 travel agents are expected to travel to Portugal from the UK for the four-day event, which takes place in Vilamoura at the Tivoli Marinotel from May 11 to 14, 2007.
Local restaurants and golf clubs, among other venues are also expected to benefit from the event as, apart from the presentations at the hotel, delegates will also enjoy a varied leisure programme including mini golf tournaments and nights out.
Triton chairman Colin Heal has said that the Algarve has been chosen due to the standard of conference facilities, quality and price of accommodation, cultural and leisure activities, beaches, gastronomy, nightlife and golf facilities.
Another decisive factor was the proximity of Faro airport, being just 25 minutes away from the resort, which is served by both budget and scheduled airlines.
He added: “We had some very good bids in from a number of destinations all of which were very attractive and were carefully considered by the board, but we felt that the package being offered by the Portuguese was the best. We expect it to be even more popular than Tenerife last year.”
Triton Travel unites around 2,000 independent travel agents and aims to provide them with the capability to compete with the larger multiple groups. It negotiates competitive prices, commissions and exclusive offers with tour operators and airlines for its members, offering them greater buying power so that they can survive among the big high street and internet names such as Thomas Cook, Thomson, First Choice and My Travel. The event focuses on how member agents can best grow their businesses with the help of the super-consortium.
The UK is the largest external market for the Algarve. More than 3.5 million overnight stays have been registered in the first eight months of this year, which has contributed to an increase of 0.8 per cent in relation to the same period last year, figures that correspond to around 70 per cent of the national total.
Between January and August 2006, the number of English guests alone exceeded 550,000, an increase of four per cent in relation to last year, which equates to 60 per cent of the national total. On average, British guests stayed a total of 6.4 nights in the Algarve.
