Wholesale FIT travel specialist Avanti Destinations has partnered with Visit Portugal to launch a campaign to educate travel advisors on the diversity of independent travel options throughout Portugal, including the newly-added island destinations of Madeira and the Azores.
The campaign includes a 50-page downloadable e-brochure ‘Paradise in Portugal’ available on Avanti’s travel advisor portal here, as well as two recorded, jointly-hosted webinars available here and here. The campaign also includes a $25 gift card for advisors for each Portugal stay having a minimum land value of $2,500 booked between April 4, 2023 and May 31, 2023, with travel completed by Dec. 31, 2023.
“Portugal has quickly risen in popularity recently, as awareness has grown of its history, culture, and historical influence on the world,” said Paul Barry, CEO of Avanti Destinations, in a press statement. “Along with its architecture, natural geography, food and wine, Portugal is now vying to become a top tier single destination in Europe. We’ve just added the islands of Madeira and the Azores to provide an even wider range of destinations for customized FIT vacations to Portugal.
“These two chains of volcanic islands in the north Atlantic will be especially appealing to active travel clients looking for hiking, trekking, surfing, lava tube-exploring, and whale- and dolphin-watching opportunities, as well as wonderful beaches. On the mainland, we’ve introduced two new recommended vacations and added a private tour to the Alentejo region, known for its distinctive gastronomic specialties, vineyards, and Roman ruins at Evora. Everywhere in Portugal, we highly recommend staying in pousadas — unique historic properties that were once castles, palaces, and convents, now thoroughly renovated as four- and five-star hotels.”
Useful Information on Travel Options in Portugal
The new jointly-produced e-brochure contains useful information on transportation to and within Portugal, special events and festivals, wine and food, and descriptions of destinations, 45 hotels, three recommended customizable vacations (two self-drive, one rail-based), and 23 private and shared tours and excursions, many of them focused on wine and gastronomy.
In Madeira, Avanti offers seven hotels, seven private tours, and two shared tours by boat. The private tours highlight different parts of Madeira, including the Valley of the Nuns. There is also a gourmet walking and tasting tour in Funchal, the capital. While in the Azores, Avanti offers five hotels and two small group tours, one dedicated to soaking in hot springs, the other by Jeep to see the twin lakes of Sete Cidades in an ancient crater, the Lake of Fire (Lagoa do Fogo), and waterfalls and hot springs at Caldeira Velha (another crater). Madeira is less than a two-hour flight from Lisbon, the Azores less than three hours. There are also nonstop flights to Madeira from the US. These two new destinations can be added onto any longer custom itinerary featuring Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve or other Portuguese, Spanish or Moroccan towns.
Avanti’s two new customizable vacations on the mainland are ‘Taste of Portugal’, an 8-day/7-night itinerary in Lisbon and Porto aimed at food and wine enthusiasts; and ‘Golden Portugal’, a 7-day/6-night itinerary in Lisbon and the Algarve that combines city and beach.
For more information, visit book.avantidestinations.com.