Nuno Miguel Alves, Tourism Director, Portuguese National Tourist Office
VoX International's Armando Mendonça & Susan Webb
Armando Mendonça joined by
Cynthia Farrill, Air Canada &
Tres Lobo, Connaissance Travel & Tours
Claudia Schwenger & Lianne Kim,
Kensington Tours' Europe division
The networking event was well attended & everyone wanted to do business!
Visit Portugal and VoX International recently held a well-attended networking event in downtown YTO. In the heart of the financial district, One King West Hotel seemed a perfect choice for the business-focused delegates to make the most impact.
Dubbed the “Portugal Experience” this pre-lunch hour-long marketplace gave 23 Portuguese suppliers the chance to chat with Canadian travel agents interested in the destination. My own experience with Portugal has, sadly, been limited to Portuguese wine and those amazingly delicious custard tarts – but it’s a destination I’d love to visit one day.
According to Nuno Miguel Alves, Tourism Director for the Portuguese National Tourist Office in NYC, I’m not alone. Portugal’s sunny Algarve has long been a popular winter destination for Canadians, but the country’s north has a great deal to offer too – including excellent value compared to Spain and Italy - and word is spreading quickly!
Portugal (not surprisingly) is where Nuno spends the majority of his holiday time. One of the things he’s hoping to do on his next trip back to the north is a river cruise along the Douro. Departing from historic Porto, these river tours are gaining popularity with North American travellers seeking friendly, safe, cultural experiences in Europe that don’t break the bank. But if that doesn’t work out, he toys with the idea of returning to Thailand, where he has fond memories of his honeymoon.
In addition to Nuno Miguel Alves, other Portugal representatives were on hand, including Maria da Encarnacao Mello, Product Manager for the Portuguese National Tourist Office in NYC and Julio Vilela, Consul General of Portugal in Canada.
The marketplace was also well attended by suppliers who made the journey from Portugal. These included Lisbon’s family owned spa property, Corinthia Hotel, incoming group-focused DMC, IN TOURS and Argon Travel, who can offer almost any product, but specialize in religious tours.
The event was packed with top-notch Canadian agents, consortiums and tour operators: from Ensemble’s Director of Marketing & Product Development, Franca Iuele to Kensington Tours’ Europe Manager, Claudia Schwenger and Tres Lobo, Connaissance Travel and Tours’ Director of Sales & Product Development.
Everyone had plenty of time to talk business at the event, but we also enjoyed the lunch – where I was not disappointed! The custard tarts (pastel de nata) were just a delight – even if they did come covered in whipped cream, much to the horror of the Portuguese suppliers sharing my table.
