2012 01 - Travel outlook for Portugal in 2012
Monday, 02 January 2012 00:00
Okay, we will be honest it was a mixed year for Portugal. Regardless of economic challenges, there is good news – we smashed a tourism revenue record in 2011, we built new rail line to the Alentejo, more than a dozen hotels will open in 2012, and scores of new eateries are opening across Portugal. But most of all, we saw huge increases in American travelers. In fact, American tourists encompass our second largest growth market. To the Americans discovering Portugal - we have great stories to tell. From the Casa da Musica symbolizing the cultural rebirth of Porto, to trains that surpass 250 km an hour, to a lost Roman city awaiting your discovery. So read on about the good news on Portugal….
And please log on to our news-site site at http://insideportugaltravel.com/ and our Facebook media page at https://www.facebook.com/InsidePortugalTravel
1. Travel Secret -- The Beauty of Simplicity
Welcome 2012! In Portugal we look at it this way. In a few decades we will turn 900 years old. In that time we have faced invasions by French, Spanish, and Moorish forces. We also pioneered new navigation techniques, designed and built innovative ships, and revolutionized cartography too. Our ships introduced the world to itself - and today Portuguese is spoken from Brazil to Timor to Macau.
Not bad for a country about the size of Maine. Our point is that we have lived through all of that for better and worse - and that Portuguese long-term approach tells us that we will be around in a few centuries to reflect on today’s headlines as well.
We think that is one of things that Americans are discovering about us - our seasoned perspective. We knew the Romans, Greek, and Carthaginians. We stood up to the Mongolians, Ottomans and even Napoleon. We sent every invading Spanish army packing. Heck, we gave the Japanese fried food, the Indian Vindalou, and New England its beloved linguiça.
Call it the saudade factor - what is old is new. Fado is World Heritage and performed in Carnegie Hall and BAM, as well as in the back alleys of the Alfama. Portuguese-built Eos convertibles fly down U.S. inter-states, and the Portuguese sun bathes 500 miles of our Atlantic beaches. We have Nations’ Park in Lisbon, barely a decade-old case study of modern urban planning, and Idanha-a-Velha where 350 Portuguese live in the midst of the remains of where 200,000 Romans once thrived.Come to Portugal and you will see how the world gets us wrong.
Undeservedly, many guidebooks call us nostalgic, and label our Fado as the blues. We are not at all nostalgic for the past - at least the past we knew. Unstable republics, revolutions, and one-party rule were a reality just a generation ago. We idolize a mix of a distant past we never knew, and confuse it with the potential for the future.
We are a resourceful, pragmatic, and resilient people. We welcome the outside visitor, and take deep pride in which we are as a whole. We are not boastful, hot headed, or direct; we are simply Portuguese. Our Fado is not sad either - it is cathartic. It lifts us beyond sadness and gives us joy. Yes, the song can be sad and nostalgic, but it reaffirms us, and lifts us out of the moment.
Lastly, let us end on why Americans like our country - it is real. We like our own food, and have never taken much to burgers and fries. We welcome your hotel chains, but the vast majority of our hotels are locally owned and operated. We do things on our own terms -- just as American’s pride themselves on their own rugged individuality. From our language -(a legacy of the Romans) that is hard to master - and makes us good at learning other’s languages, to our love of soup (comforting at every meal!) to our refusal to abandon ancient traditions. We will dress like birds and dance by the river, wear odd masks, kill a pig for Christmas, and will confidently meet a bull in the arena. We like wine with our meals, like our bread fresh, are potato snobs, and will continue to use olive oil like you use ketchup -- forever.
Portugal is both old, and new. It is real, and welcoming. From the best grape varietals you never heard of, to the fusion of Jazz and Fado. Americans are discovering us and we have great stories to tell. Our numbers are strong, our country is beautiful - and if you are not writing about us, you are missing the boat. And, we know a lot about boats….
See you in 2012.
2. News
Conde Nast, UK travel magazine, ranks Portugal in Top 20 in readers’ travel awards
Medieval Portuguese villages to begin tour packages
The 2011 travel and tourism competitiveness index, put together by the World Economic Forum, places Portugal in the top 20 most competitive destinations for tourism and travel investments for the 3rd year running.
New Museum of Art Deco will be based in Funchal
Azores ranked as top affordable travel destinationAbout.com - The Very Best Gardens of Europe are in Portugal
Also, Go Europe says that two of its favorite Gardens in Europe are in Portugal
3. Packages / Deals
SATA Azores Express announces new Azores air + hotel packages to the volcanic islands of the Azores – from $699. This year, choose from 26 hotels and five storm-free islands.
Save a week of your life for a detox at Vidago Palace, and your body will thank you for it.
Guided tours through the Portuguese landscapes and into history.
3. Contact Information
For more information contact:
Miguel Carvalho
Portuguese National Tourism Office
www.visitportugal.com
V: 646 7230213
Jayme H. Simoes
Louis Karno & Company Communications, LLC
V: 603 2245566 x19
Portugal National Tourist Office