Demand for end-of-year travel increases, with Madeira, Brazil, and Morocco leading the way.

Demand for end-of-year travel increases, with Madeira, Brazil, and Morocco leading the way.

Demand for end-of-year travel confirms one of the strongest New Year's Eve sales periods ever, despite the widespread price increases, with Madeira, Brazil, and Morocco establishing themselves as unmissable destinations for the Portuguese.

Although these are the main conclusions of tour operators and travel agency networks consulted by Lusa, a cross-cutting pattern is also noted: sold-out end-of-year programs for organized groups on long-distance routes, which are generating greater interest among Portuguese tourists, who are increasingly open to longer and more unique experiences, they say.

"This end-of-year period is always normal; we have a 'great appetite' for Madeira. Sales are higher compared to last year for Madeira and Brazil. Madeira and its fireworks are very popular. And for Brazil, the charter flights from operators have good occupancy and good sales, but there are increasingly more tailor-made packages for this time of year," said Ricardo Teles, Operations Director of Bestravel, to Lusa.

"Due to its proximity and all the work that has been done throughout the year, Morocco is also in high demand for the end of the year, especially Marrakech (...)," he added.

These destination options for Portuguese travelers were also confirmed by the Operations Manager of Solférias, Sónia Regateiro, and the CEO of Pinto Lopes Viagens, Rui Pinto Lopes.

"This year-end, Brazil continued to be, once again, a 'top seller'. We have three charter flights to Brazil that are fully booked again. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure a fourth flight departing from Portugal – which we would have sold – due to a lack of demand from Brazilians for our country, which was a shame," explained Sónia Regateiro.

For this operator, Cape Verde follows, which "continues to be very popular" for New Year's Eve – "it's a destination four hours from Lisbon, ideal for families and which, at this time of year, continues to have a mild climate where you can enjoy the beach" – and Madeira.

"Solférias this year again has three charter flights to Funchal for New Year's Eve, from Porto and Lisbon, completely full. Another success," said the manager.

The CEO of Pinto Lopes Viagens also confirms having "several groups" in Morocco, as usual, explaining that they prefer tours rather than single-city trips. "We'll be traveling between Marrakech, Fez, the desert, Casablanca, and Rabat," he stated.

What has changed, they confirmed, is the preference for only two or three national destinations, which traditionally were limited to Funchal, Serra da Estrela, and the Algarve.

"We also have a lot of demand for other destinations in Portugal. We're already talking about Madeira and the islands – even less so for the Azores, but it's increasing compared to previous years – then on the mainland we have Porto and even other diverse destinations. Let's not forget that the destination that agencies sell the most is Portugal," says the head of Bestravel.

"The end of the year is completely sold out," emphasized Rui Pinto Lopes, confirming afterwards that they have launched new options in Portugal and Spain, from the Alentejo to the center, "like Tomar," or in Spain, "from Galicia to Toledo (...)."

Tour operators and travel agencies also pointed to other routes, some sold out, for this period, ranging from other destinations in Europe to the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, including the "Baltics, Iceland, Lapland" or "the Emirates circuit," to "Dubai and Qatar" with Bestravel or "São Tomé and Príncipe, Mexico, and Cuba" with Solférias.

All confirmed the generalized increase in prices this year, mainly driven, they said, by aviation costs and hotel prices. High demand also puts pressure on prices, they noted.

Tour operators and travel agencies spoke at the 50th National Congress of the Portuguese Association of Travel Agencies, which took place in Macau last week.

Source: DN Madeira