In a statement, the Association of Tourism of the Algarve (ATA) said that the latest ‘flash sale’ campaign to boost last-minute bookings in the region until the end of October “has had a very large take up, leading to an increase in sales of 94 percent.

The German market is the second largest for the region, in number of tourists, after the United Kingdom, and has been, over the last three years, “the target of the largest investment” in the “promotional strategy for the destination,” said the president of Turismo do Algarve, João Fernandes.

Eurowings, which provides eight connections between Faro and different German cities, is one of the airlines with which Turismo do Algarve is operating similar campaigns, and is also carrying out actions with Ryanair and Easyjet, which also fly to Germany, by the end of the year.
“We are very enthusiastic about the interest and receptivity with which the various initiatives that Tourismo do Algarve has been carrying out in this market have been welcomed,” stresses João Fernandes, quoted in the statement.

The digital communication campaign that the Algarve has launched during the months of July and August on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Youtube, aimed at the German market, is also obtaining “very positive results”, he added.

Under the motto “Die Algarve tut dir gut” (“The Algarve looks good on you”), the campaign consists of promoting a video about the Algarve, which has already exceeded 120,000 views.

By the end of 2020, the online campaign will be reinforced with the German market, to the value of €100,000, through the promotion of contents related to golf, nature tourism, cycling, tours, culture and gastronomy.

“The German tourist appreciates the differentiating experiences and authenticity of the Algarve and visits the region based on very diverse motivations,” explains João Fernandes, stressing that he also travels outside the high season.

In 2020, the amount invested in joint marketing campaigns with operators and airlines aimed at the German market amounted to €1.8 million, with Tourismo do Algarve providing half of this investment.

“We believe that, in a progressive way, we are managing to restore the confidence that German tourists have always had in the Algarve, a destination that is already familiar to them”, concluded João Fernandes.

Last year, the Algarve saw 360,000 tourists from Germany, which translated into approximately 1.9 million overnight stays, a figure corresponding to a 15 percent growth between 2014 and 2019.

Hotel occupancy in July in the Algarve fell by 60.2 percent compared to the same month last year, with an overall average occupancy per room of 33.2 percent.

In a statement, the Association of Hotels and Tourist Developments of the Algarve (AHETA) states that the British market was the one that contributed most to the decline, having registered a drop of 91.1 percent.