The Secretary of State for Tourism Ana Mendes Godinho reports that Portugal was represented at the important International Tournatur exhibition in Dusseldorf last weekend
The trip to Germany by Portugal Tourism staff was to impress on the international audience that Portugal is the place for trekking, cycling and all sorts of healthy outdoor pursuits under the broad heading of ‘nature tourism.’
"We are making a big bet on nature tourism in order to undo the traditional view associated with Portugal that it’s a country of sun and sand, and to help show our diverse tourism products," explained Godinho, noting that Portugal was at the event for the first time, and "to reach specific markets."
Within Europe there are an estimated 12 million nature tourism trips and 40% of German tourists who come to Portugal can be categorised as nature tourists.
Godinho said nature tourism "combats seasonality" and this type of tourist stays longer and spends more.
Nature tourism in Portugal represents just 2% of trips to the country. Godinho adopted 'positive spin' mode, saying that "there is a huge potential for growth," noting also that effort is being made to reposition the Algarve to attract these different audiences.
The Portugal stand showed images of Portugal and its regions with 24 Portuguese companies represented.
