Porto and Northern Region tune joint tourism campaign to the national market, for starters

For the first time, the Porto Tourism Association (ATP) and Tourism of Porto and Northern Portugal (TPNP) launched a joint campaign with the goal of promoting Porto, Douro, Minho and Trás-os-Montes, as memorable tourism destinations in the country. Under the motto "Lá em Cima" ["Up There", free translation], the first phase of this unique campaign wants to show nationals how they can connect to the Northern Region on a deeper level. 

This initiative not only marks a step in the cooperation between both entities, but also returns to promoting the internal market, namely the entire Northern Region, as a preferred tourist destination of choice.

The invitation is addressed to Portuguese visitors, who have a great opportunity to (re)discover the vast territory in the Northern area of Portugal, the only one to have been granted 5 thousand "Clean & Safe" certification labels regarding restaurants and tourism establishments.

The campaign officially launched on 8th July at the Porto Palácio Hotel, where the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira emphasized the quick deployment of such "ambitious project".

Rui Moreira also considered, cited by Lusa, that "more than entrepreneurial, the Region is resilient and "pulls out of its soul" to move forward.

Councillor for Economy, Tourism and Trade and also President of ATP, Ricardo Valente shares this opinion and furthers that "the worst thing we could have would be a set of companies, entities, tourist entertainment companies, restaurants and hotels that would not be able to make it to 2021. I think that effort is being made. The perception regarding the city of Porto is that the year is going to be least bad than expected a few months ago, regarding occupancy rates".

Flight reservations and hotel bookings are "quite encouraging" at the Invicta till September, Ricardo Valente acknowledges, but also mentions that this is a challenging year.

This first phase of the "Lá em Cima" campaign features offers such as "City & Short Breaks", the "Turismo de Gastronomia e Vinhos" ["Gastronomy and Wine Tourism", free translation], "Natureza", "Saúde e Bem Estar" ["Health and Well Being", free translation], "Turismo Religioso", "Cultural e Paisagístico" ["Cultural and Landscape Tourism", free translation], and "Náutico", just to mention a few.

This investment amounts to between 60 and 70 thousand euros, and the campaign is set in a strong digital bet, as is the case of the webpage "O Norte lá em cima", [North Up There", free translation], where users can access a live chat to experience suggestions on a given destination or activities, or even to relive tourism experiences, in real time display and in a personalised way.

In addition, several promotional videos will be released to stimulate tourism areas in the region.

In turn, Luís Pedro Martins, President of Tourism of Porto, Northern Portugal (TPNP), cited by Publituris, enhanced that "Porto and the North of Portugal have an exceptional gastronomy, places of excellence and breath-taking views".

The Secretary of State of Tourism, Rita Marques attended the ceremony, considering it to be a "historic occasion" and the President of the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDRN), Fernando Freire de Sousa, called on both entities to "be prepared" for the near future.

Additionally, the Tourism of Porto, Northern Portugal and the Porto Tourism Association strategic plan encompasses a second phase that encourages Spanish visitors to come to the Northern Region; also, a third phase extends tourism operations to the international market, particularly Brazil, USA, Germany and United Kingdom, as well as several Asian markets.