Many Portuguese are already counting down the days to put cod on the Christmas table and ask the next week, raisins in hand, for the 12 wishes for the coming year. But tradition doesn’t enchant everyone — and the hotel industry, which already has sold-out units across the country a month before the holiday season, thanks. Higher prices have not stopped demand, especially in the regions of Serra da Estrela, Algarve and Madeira, where this New Year’s Eve their hotels will be full, especially with national clients, who bring tourist entities to Dinheiro Vivo.
At the highest point in Portugal, the forecasts for Christmas and New Year are “completely positive”, admits the president of the Entidade Regional Turismo Centro Portugal (ERT Centro), Pedro Machado. The region’s recovery – driven mainly by the internal market and in some cases already surpassing 2019 levels – provides strong attractiveness and good booking numbers.
“There are a lot of units that are already at 100% and those that aren’t are going there,” he points out. The expectation that Serra da Estrela will “continue to excite many Portuguese”, as happened last summer, is consistent with data collected from some hotel groups. Vila Galé, in Manteigas, and Pousada Serra da Estrela (Pestana), in Covilhã, are fully booked for New Year’s Eve. In the same vein, Aqua Village, in Oliveira do Hospital, has few rooms left, at prices above 400 euros.
The official admits that there has been a price increase caused by the rise in operating costs, which are currently between 25% and 45% higher than the same period last year. Since this is the high season in Serra da Estrela, the units are betting heavily on arrangements for the festivities. The three-night program at the H2otel (Natura IMB Hotels), in Unhais da Serra, had a minimum value of 1050 euros per person and was already sold out in October. Still without an estimate of the total number of tourists expected for these times, the president of ERT Centro guarantees that the domestic market will carry the greatest weight, followed by the Spanish, Brazilian and American markets. One of the novelties in the Center region is the Asian market, namely the South Koreans.
Pedro Machado says there has been significant investment in the region, both in accommodation and catering, and that it is now better served “by more hotels – charming, family-run and boutiques – and restaurants”. The challenge of the workforce, namely the most qualified, remains a constant and can guarantee the quality of services to tourists in the region, warns the official, who appeals to the tolerance of tourists as the sector continues to recover and regaining the confidence of the markets.
Region South in low season
In the southernmost region of the country, the outlook is also optimistic as the Algarve grows in the low season and also in the Christmas and New Year period, according to Algarve Tourism Board (RTA) president João Fernandes. “The outlook for bookings is good, although we know that the big trend is to book at the last minute,” he says. The estimated occupancy rate is 80%.
Hélder Martins, president of the Association of Hotels and Tourism Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA), admits that those times “represent a certain increase in occupancy, but without a pronounced significance” compared to the other months of the year. However, it predicts that, in the event that “weather conditions are pleasant”, this period will register an operation equivalent to pre-pandemic time.
In the Algarve, prices have also risen, but it is necessary “to take into account the reality that the production costs of hotels, restaurants and services generally imply an increase in the sales price throughout the year and in all tourist destinations”, says he. explains João Fernandes. According to the president of AHETA, hotel units are already selling their packages, especially before the end of the year, which have been “very well received”. Although 75% of the region’s demand during the year is external, it is expected that the hotels will be filled with Portuguese during the holiday season, as in previous years. However, foreign tourists are also expected from the United States, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Ireland.
Christmas and New Years in the North
Hotels in the Porto and North region have already registered an “interesting” number of reservations, about 70% for New Year’s Eve and 50% for Christmas, Turismo do Porto e Norte de Portugal (TPNP) president Luís Pedro Martins said, noting that “we are still a month away from the celebrations” and that these values can be expected to rise and surpass 2019 levels, as happened in certain destinations throughout the year. Of the total bookings made, 60% come from abroad, with an emphasis on the Spanish, French, North American and Brazilian markets.
The Douro, which has had a “fantastic” operation, with occupancy rates of 100% at various times, is also expected to follow the trend in the coming month. Gonçalo Rebelo de Almeida, manager of the Vila Galé group, argues that the unit is already sold out in that region and that the same is happening in the city of Braga, where the Meliá, of the Hotihotels group, according to manager Manuel Proença. Minho, Trás-os-Montes and Porto will also have great appeal, the president believes.
This period, believes Luís Pedro Martins, will contribute to “reaching the end of the year and achieving the accumulated target of six million guests and 11 million overnight stays”. The units in the region, like the rest of the country, are making a comeback with New Year’s Eve packages as they are no longer subject to the restrictions of the pandemic: “It’s a return to partying, there are more lavish programs in the hotel industry, who has been denied this for two years,” she concludes.
New Year’s Eve in Madeira
Madeira’s New Year is a draw for tourists, who look forward to the fiery fireworks displays. This year will be no different. At present, hotels in the region are already recording an occupancy rate of around 70% for the Christmas and New Year period, and the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Culture foresees an increase in this figure as the dates approach. The Meliá do Funchal is already going ahead, including reservations in the order of 90%, and it is likely to be sold out by December 31.
“Everything suggests that December will generally follow the growth trend of the rest of the year, with the particularity of the Christmas and New Year festivities being an important landmark in the search for the destination of Madeira since forever, among the events that take place throughout the year round,” the entity emphasizes. For the coming month, 1,227 flights are scheduled to Cristiano Ronaldo airport – an increase of 48% compared to the same period in 2019. A total of 227,000 seats will be available.
Portuguese, English, Germans, French and Poles will be the main tourists looking for Madeira at that time, with the expectation that the Spanish, Irish, Italian and North American markets will perform better, taking into account the planned direct flights . The regional entity also predicts that Portuguese tourists will respond more forcefully at Christmas and New Year 2022 than in the previous year. By sea, 20,000 passengers are expected over the Christmas period, via ten cruise ships, and 11,000 on New Year’s Eve, on the seven ships scheduled, reveals the regional economy secretary, Rui Barreto.
With RS
Dinheiro Vivo Journalists
Source: DN
