From 5 to 8 October Portugal was present in Paris at IFTM Top Resa, the main travel and tourism fair in France. Turismo de Portugal coordinated the national participation, having secured a stand with an area of 300 m2, which hosted 21 companies and 5 Regional Tourism Promotion Agencies (Porto and North of Portugal, Central Region, Algarve, Madeira and Azores).
This promotional action, included in the Marketing Plan for the French market, and aligned with the objectives of the Reactivate Tourism | Build the Future Action Plan, aims to give a new boost to tourism activity and flows from this important market to Portugal. In this respect, it is worth mentioning that in the coming months a reinforcement of air connections and the attraction of new routes connecting French cities to Portuguese destinations is already foreseen.
The unique decoration of the stand allowed important messages to be conveyed and, at the same time, created attraction for the various audiences - from tourists to trade, including the media - for whom Portugal is an authentic, friendly, charming and fashionable brand.
From the iconic images present at the stand, the colourful Swallow of Diversity stands out, the result of collaboration between Bordallo Pinheiro and Turismo de Portugal. Inspired by the original swallow, it symbolises our multiculturalism, the respect for difference, the sign of a universalistic, diverse country that knows how to welcome those who visit us.
The presence on the stand of two surfboards made from plastic collected from the oceans, signalled the importance of preserving natural heritage, biodiversity and encouraging sustainable tourism. These boards result from the 1st edition of Unwanted Shapes, a joint MEO / VisitPortugal action that this year challenged shapers from all over the world to reuse COVID-19 related waste found in the oceans to produce surfboards.
