Portugal is the most popular travel destination for the Portuguese. There is a lot to see from north to south and the Portuguese love getting to know the country they live in. However, vacation is synonymous with travel.
According to Sapo News, the top three are Cape Verde, Paris and Senegal, says Nuno Mateus, director of Solférias. The latter has only recently been included in the list, but has gained a lot of importance, especially in the last two or three years, with the opening of the Riu Baobab. “We started charter flights and from then on Senegal has grown exponentially. The demand from Portugal has caused a revolution in a positive sense with the opening of this hotel,” because in his opinion “it completely changes the concept.”
Next come Tunisia, Egypt and then all of Portugal – “which is clearly divided between mainland Portugal, Madeira, Porto Santo and the Azores, Brazil, Zanzibar, Morocco, São Tomé and other ‘remote idylls’ such as the Maldives, Cuba and Thailand.”
Nuno Mateus argues that there is a “very important factor”. “For a destination to be in demand, there must be good air connections. A destination without good air connections may have some demand, but ultimately it is marginal and not significant. If there is an operator with a good charter and the price-quality ratio becomes affordable, it is different.” And he gives an example: “We offer Zanzibar nine hours from Lisbon. With a stopover, it takes about 15 or 16 hours. It is a completely different concept. It is true that flights have other advantages that charter flights do not have. It depends on what the customer wants to do,” he assures.
At Lusanova, the trend is moving to other countries. “Among the destinations that Lusanova has launched in recent years, the most sought-after have been national destinations, with a focus on the Portuguese archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, and European destinations, with Italy, France, the Benelux countries and Germany standing out. Among long-haul destinations, we have seen strong demand for Southeast Asia, India and South America (Brazil and Argentina),” said Tiago Encarnação, Lusanova’s Operations Manager..
When asked whether there had been a change in trend over the years, the manager said that they had noticed “that travellers are more conscious in their travel choices and are opting for higher quality destinations and products”. And there has also been “an increase in tailor-made travel, that is, travel adapted to their needs”.
However, Tiago Encarnação adds: “We still see a great demand for tours with predefined itineraries that include transport, accommodation, sightseeing, guides, some meals and other experiences, among others. Always with guaranteed departures and guides in Portuguese.” He adds: “Little by little, the demand for long-haul destinations has increased at the expense of short and medium-haul destinations. All this demand from the public will increase the number of travel days as well as the value of the trips.”
