The Algarve is Portugal’s most important tourist region and quite rightly is showing off at the Lisbon Tourism Fair that started on Wednesday and runs until Sunday.
The tourism fair is one of the major such fairs in Europe and thousands of tourism sector companies gather, attracting 65,000 visitors last year.
From the 12 to the 16th March it is trade only, with Saturday and Sunday seeing the doors thrown open to the public.
This year the Algarve Tourism Board is launching the Algarve Wine Route, the presentation of the now famous and re-issued 'Guide to Wines of the Algarve,’ and Mediterranean diet cooking. Each of the Algarve’s councils has designated and marked space to enable it to promote its own range of tourism products and services.
On the Albufeira stand for example the council is of course pushing its sun and beach holidays but also showing that the city has a variety of attractions including fine dining, golf, shopping, scenery, nightlife, sporting and cultural activities.
Aljezur is focusing on the new Vincentina Route, the 4th Stage of the National Surf Circuit in June, the conference for Nature Tourism in October, the sweet Potato Festival, together with a food from renowned chef Victor Esteves.
Each council is well represented with a wide variety of tourism products, many of which can be experienced for example on the Tavira stand which promotes the Mediterranean Diet with locally made olive oil and bread from the area.
Even bombed-out Portimão council is fielding a team and will be promoting the new Ocean Revival diving attraction off the Alvor coast.
This is an essential fair and a coherent presentation of the region’s attractions by the Tourism Board is necessary, in part to counter the mess of messages emanating from the various councils and interest groups in the tourism sector that the public have been bombarded with in recent months.
