Our Sales Manager Gonzalo provides his insight on the current state of business in Portugal and the future of travel of events in the country.
Since the start of the pandemic, Portugal has done everything in its power to make the country safe and ensure its return as a top travel destination.
A Safe Reopening
The Portuguese tourism board created the Clean & Safe stamp in accordance with the Directorate-General for Health guidelines at the start of 2021. Nowadays, more than 22.000 businesses linked to the tourism sector have earned this stamp. Furthermore, more than 36.000 people were trained to follow the quality and safety standards.
The industry has had to continue adapting to the current situation. They are constantly implementing new health restrictions to ensure the safe and effective return of the tourism industry. As a result, Portugal is recognized as one of the safest travel destinations in Europe.
From my personal travels to Portugal over the past year, I can attest to the safety and well-organized tourism standards throughout the country. While visiting, Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Alentejo & northern Portugal, I always felt at ease and protected despite the circumstances.
At Ovation Portugal DMC, we were one of the first agencies to earn the Clean & Safe Stamp. Additionally, we have our own Health & Safety department. This addition oversees the safety protocols of each event.
The Future of Events
Prior to summer, most clients were only requesting to host small meetings and events in Portugal. However, recently we have seen an increase in interest and inquiries. This leads us to believe that Portugal will become one of the TOP destinations for MICE services in 2022. We count on one of the most secure countries in the world, with great gastronomy and high-quality tourism standards.
Nonetheless, the pandemic has caused the need to adapt. We have had to create new opportunities for engagement despite our inability to see one another in person. Our new methodology based on neuroscience techniques called D.I.V.E (Define, Ideate, Visualise & Engage) allowed us to completely transform and captivate an audience in a virtual space.
Furthermore, we created the Digital Nomad. This new product provides us with the opportunity to organize virtual destination experiences for clients from all over the world. Watch our video to learn more.
In my opinion, the future will be bright in the event industry. We will have a mix of the three models (Physical, 100% virtual & Hybrid) which will open the door to endless possibilities and experiences.
Finally, we must mention that we recently won the award of the Best MICE Organizer 2020 at the World Travel MICE Awards. A recognition of the hard work of our wonderful Portuguese team.
We are waiting for you, to unveil our country, our Portugal. Always with a smile on our faces.
Meet the Team
Gonzalo De la Cruz – International Sales Manager
Gonzalo is originally from Madrid, but he lived many years in Portugal. He joined Ovation DMC with several years of experience in different DMCs in Portugal, and actively promotes Portugal and Spain in DACH and the USA.