Portugal wants 'quality not quantity' from Spanish tourism

Paul Rees 18 January 2018

madrid Portugal’s Economy Minister said, from the tourism fair in Madrid, that Portugal plans an increased promotional spend to attract Spanish tourists, an increase of 30% on the 2017 figure.

This market is, "very good growth and very interesting, said Cabral at Fitur, "In Spain, in particular, external promotion is growing by 30%. It was a market where were already concentrating in 2017, but in 2018 we are pushing harder because it is a market that is growing very well and is very interesting because it is growing more in value, even more so than the number of tourists."

Manuel Caldeira Cabral said for 2018 there is traditional publicity, promotion by inviting journalists to visit Portugal, online promotion and all the other modern promotion methods to attract the Spanish.

For the minister, participation in FITUR "is very important," hence this is the largest Portuguese presence ever at the fair as, "it is exactly when everything is going well that we have to do better, to ensure that everything goes even better."

"We are here because we want to ensure that Portugal’s tourism continues to grow and continues to grow in a sustainable way, spread across the country, spread throughout the year and growing in quality more than in quantity," said Cabral.

Spain is one of Portugal’s strategic markets, accounting for 1.5 million guests in the year to October 2017, a 2.4% increase from the year before - importantly, revenue was up 20.7%, to a total of €1.68 billion as Spaniards opened their wallets.

Portugal’s stand at Fitur has managed to accommodate 76 companies and five startups on a area of 900 m2, a record presence for Portugal at the Madrid Tourism Fair.

Spanish tourists certainly are well served by TAP which operates 217 weekly flights between the two countries landing at Alicante, Asturias, Barcelona, Bilbao, A Coruña, Gran Canaria, Madrid, Málaga, Seville, Valencia and Vigo. They are 23 more flights than a year ago and 43 more than in 2016.

"TAP deeply believes in the Spanish market and the resumption of Barcelona - Oporto flights is proof of our commitment," says Araci Coimbra, TAP sales director for Southern Europe.