UK visitor numbers to the Azores have jumped by almost 15% in a year – up to 10,000 – thanks to the appointment of a UK representation company and promotional campaigns for the Portuguese islands.
As part of a campaign running from January to March, the tourist office recruited TV personality Ben Fogle as ambassador to the islands and invested in print and digital advertising.
"We found that visitor traffic to the Azores’ website doubled during our campaign, compared to the 2012 campaign period,’ said a spokeswoman.
"Our budget was a lot lower than the previous year but had a far greater impact."
The destination has focused on working with niche tour operators in the UK, recognising that it is not a mass market destination.
UK representation agency KBC has helped develop 10 new partnerships with independent specialist activity tour operators, including those promoting walking, diving, biking and marine conservation, as well as holidays for gardeners, schools groups and religious groups.
"The Azores didn’t have UK representation until last March. The main problem has been that British people hadn’t heard of the Azores, and if they had, they didn’t realise they’re in the Atlantic less than a four-hour flight from the UK," said the spokeswoman.
"We have hosted two tour operator educations in the past year, and are holding training sessions and making sales calls. The Azores are for people looking for experiential holidays and I see there being massive scope for that to increase."
by Vicki Power
See Vicki’s blog on her visit to the Azores today and tomorrow.
