Affordable Portugal a big draw for MICE
The luxury DMC, Mr. Travel Portugal, has formed a consortium of high-end suppliers called ‘The Private Collection of Portugal’ to tap the Indian market, especially the leisure and MICE segments.
According to Luis Sousa, Managing Director, Mr. Travel Portugal, the Indian market has a great potential and Indians are evolving into experiential travellers on the lookout for unique and high- end destinations and experiences. “While the Indian market has not notched as much growth as the company would like, it is slowly picking up. Tapping a market the size of India is a challenge. Almost 60 per cent of our business is MICE and luxury FITs. From India, we mostly see clients who have an international convention to attend in Lisbon. We hope to see more from the Incentives market now,” he said. Also, Portugal is less expensive than other European destinations. Thus, this can be a big factor for drawing MICE travellers to Portugal, he added.
The luxury DMC, Mr. Travel Portugal, has formed a consortium of high-end suppliers called ‘ The Private Collection of Portugal’ to tap the Indian market, especially the leisure and MICE segments. The DMC, one of the biggest in Portugal also appointed Avant Garde Consulting as India Representative. “As a DMC, we have been targetting the Indian market since 2010 and started coming to India for roadshows from 2011,” Sousa pointed out.
Regarding the promotional strategy for the Indian market, Sheetal Munshaw of Avant Garde Consultancy elaborated, “We are planning to organise customised FAM trips, sales missions and tactical promotions and events to increase awareness in the Indian market for Portugal as a luxury tourism destination. We are focussing on highlighting ‘ travel with taste’, promoting their personalised services, including off the beaten track experiences, insightful journeys to uncommon places and discovering local flavours.”