André Gomes, President of the Algarve Tourist Board, talks about the popular destination in Portugal and developments there as Faro Airport celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
What should travel agents be aware of to sell the Algarve effectively?
We are very committed to making Algarve a year-round destination. We are known for our beaches and our golf courses but Algarve is much more than that.
We have a very diverse offer that makes Algarve a year-round destination: our nature tourism, our cultural offer and our gastronomy – which, I think, connects all the offers that we have.
Our main advantage is our diversity of offer in a relatively small region when thinking on a European scale. You can find all this within two hours from one edge to the other. I think that’s really what makes us different from other destinations.
What does the Algarve offer in terms of sports tourism?
The MotoGP is one of our main international events outside of the high season. It’s going to be the seventh time we have the MotoGP at the Algarve, at the racetrack at Portimão for the first time in November 2025 and again in 2026.
It’s an incredible event from a sport that’s seen all over the world. We have a Portuguese rider, Miguel Oliveira, who makes our race track in Portimão the main place for his practice. He is starting with a new team next year, the Prima Pramac Yamaha Factory Team.
We also have great golf courses and training facilities for a range of team sports.
At our marinas and coastline, we have excellent conditions for sailing events all year. We normally have 300 days of sun.
Sustainability is increasingly significant to travellers. What initiatives have you introduced?
Regarding the tourism sector, we have created a safe water seal that we provide to companies that commit to implement a plan of action to reduce the consumption of water. We launched it in March and now we already seeing results of that.
Companies have to define a plan of action: measures that they will take up to the end of the year. They also have to report their consumption, not only the consumption in 2023 but also in 2024. The last report, from September, shows that we have reduced the consumption of water by 13%. We have reduced the consumption per night stay by 16%.
It’s not good to see that we were using more water than we really needed last year but it’s good to see that we are using less water this year and still growing on performance. I think that shows our commitment to sustainability in the region.
What is new or soon to be introduced in the Algarve?
We have a lot of investments in accommodation at all levels, from family-friendly properties to luxury hotels.
A new hotel was inaugurated in October, the Viceroy at Ombria Algarve, in the interior near Loulé – a sustainable, high-quality offer with 76 guestrooms and suites and 65 residences. In Portimão, we have the brand Pestana. They have refurbished the Hotel Delfim.
It’s very good to see how reinvestments are coming for the next two or three years. We are seeing new Hilton hotels in Lagos, for instance. They are starting to build right now.
We are getting a new Hard Rock Hotel in Portimão, at Praia do Vau.
We will also have a new route, direct to the United States starting next year.
What should visitors to the Algarve not miss?
I think you have to put everything together. Our beaches are internationally recognised. For instance, Praia da Falésia was considered the best beach in the world this year by Tripadvisor.
But you have to combine that with a visit to our interior, where you can get into contact with our traditions, with artisans that work our art and crafts that are recognised internationally.
You can put all that together with our gastronomy. We have Michelin-starred restaurants and traditional dining.
You can visit our cultural-historical villages…regarding the Discoveries we have Sagres. It’s the third most-visited in all our country: it’s very interesting.
A visit of three or four days in our region: you can see all that.
Can holidaymakers get around easily without a car?
You can use trains but you can also use an offer that we have on buses. We have a line called Vamus that connects all the cities in our region. It’s a service provided by the municipalities together. I think it’s a good way to connect between towns and the coastline and the interior of our region.
Is there anything else you would like to say to UK travel agents?
Come and visit us. We have a historical connection with Brits. It’s one of our main markets.
We have airline connections to Faro from around the UK. Faro Airport turns 60 years old in 2025, growing from 10,000 in 1965 to 10 million passengers.
