The Portuguese continue to prioritize travel at festivities and in this Easter, which ‘glue’ various holidays, made more reservations, more in advance and for increasingly diversified destinations, on average at higher prices.
“We can say that, this year, this year is being the best ever, if we think of reservations made. There is a very significant movement of anticipation of reserves, causing very significant growths, which will necessarily slow throughout the year,” begins by the president of the Portuguese Association of Travel Agencies () to Lusa.
A trend of more travel purchases that occurs in most destinations on offer, which increasingly hinders the election of one or the other as the preferred ones.
“After this first period of reservations, it is concluded that all destinations are ‘behaving well’, being eventually more visible the growth in destinations where there has been increased ‘charter’ offer, such as Caribbean, Cape Verde, Tunisia or Morocco, to give some examples,” adds Pedro Costa Ferreira, stressing that growth is, in fact, “global, and can be given much example”.
At national level, the official cites Madeira, where “it is already perfectly visible, in reservations, the approach of the Flower Festival” in May.
About the excellent period that the sector lives, both the Solféria Travel Agency and the Lusanova Tour Operator corroborate the opinion.
Lusanova’s director of operations, James Incarnation, told Lusa that the Easter reserves are “going very well, with many Portuguese to enjoy the 25 April holiday to extend their vacation.”
A growth that the CEO (CEO) of Solferias, Nuno Mateus, says it is easier to materialize, for now, compared to last year. “Sales are already 25% above […]. In short, sales for the Easter period are exceptional. ”
In terms of destinations best selling for Easter, in the case of Solferias are “Cape Verde, Paris, Brazil -which has been in an extraordinary recovery in the last two years -but also Senegal, the Maldives, Sao Tome, Egypt, Tunisia, Mauricia, Seicheles.
Lusanova says that “inside, wood and the Azores continue to be safe choices, with a constant demand at this time of year”, while abroad, “proximity destinations such as Italy, Iceland, Baltic and Morocco countries have aroused great interest. With regard to long-haul destinations, Japan and Thailand stand out among the most sought after options,” said Tiago Incarnation.
Asked about an increase in travel price, they announced.
“Prices have risen in some cases, following inflation and demand, but there are many options on the market for different types of budget,” said the official of Lusanova.
For its part, Nuno Mateus says the pricing trend exists, but also because they are selling “a few more long distances” such as Mauricia or Seicheles, and with that the average cost of travel rises.
What is no longer a trend this year is the ‘Last Minute’, the last minute trips.
The demand has manifested “since the beginning of the year. We have recorded a strong demand for trips, and Easter remains an important period in the agenda of many Portuguese travelers to escape out of high time. Traveling has won an increasingly important role in the lives of the Portuguese, becoming an essential good. This trend is reflected in reserves, which already exceeds 10% those in the same period of last year,” said Tiago Incarnation.
Nuno Mateus recalls that reserving “much in advance is synonymous with paying much less”, because “tariffs are increasingly dynamic” and that “what is really making a difference is the anticipated reserve”.
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