The Secretary of State for Tourism, Ana Mendes Godinho, admits that the fall in the number of British tourists coming to Portugal is worrying but draws comfort from the work already done to spread the word in other markets.
Ana Mendes Godinho says of the drop in British numbers, "it is a worry because it is one of the main markets," but there already is growth from other nations."
The National Statistics Institute announced that the British market accounted for 23% of the total number of foreigners’ overnight stays in May, a decrease of 9% on top of a drop of 7.4% in the first five months of the year.
Tourism from British visitors to Portugal has been falling for seven consecutive months.
Portugal’s tourist board is targeting the United Kingdom in a campaign to push Madeira and the Algarve as competitive destinations compared to Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey.
Godinho said the special campaign dedicated to these destinations involves communication with travel agents and airlines, while “positioning our destinations for quality and not for the mass market."
The executive president of the Association of Hospitality of Portugal (AHP), Cristina Siza Vieira, admitted that she has been following this market "with particular attention," as the market share represented by the British in the Algarve normally is 28% and in Madeira it is a full 40%.
Vieira says the reason for the fall in numbers is 'Brexit' and the devaluation of the pound, the resurgence of 'sun and sand' competitors and the collapse of airlines such as Monarch, Air Berlin and Niki that removed capacity.
In the survey conducted by AHP, hoteliers expect a significant drop in the number of British visiting Madeira and the Algarve.
On the plus side, the National Institute of Statistics points to a "remarkable growth" of tourists coming from North America, up 18% in May. The Brazilians are helping too with a 10% increase.
