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It is a “historic moment” in the tourist promotion of Porto and the north of Portugal. The two tourism organizations in the region now have the same president with the inauguration of Luís Pedro Martins, thus being able to define and implement a common strategy to promote the destination in the different issuing markets.
Until now, the Regional Tourism Authority of Porto and North of Portugal (TPNP) was in charge of promoting in the national market and in the so-called international proximity market (Spanish autonomous communities of Galicia and Castilla y León), while the Association de Turismo do Porto (ATP) was responsible for all other external promotions of the territory.
Luís Pedro Martins, who already directed the TPNP, was now also elected president of the ATP, with 98.5% of the votes, this already after this association, headed by the councilor of Porto, Ricardo Valente, changed the statutes . make changes in the nature, composition and designation of the governing bodies, thus allowing the intervention of the other entity in the strategic council and in management.
Now there are conditions to design a unique destination brand and the respective marketing plan in line with the tourism development strategy. Luís Pedro Martins, President of TPNP and ATP
“We were in a ‘sui generis’ situation, which did not happen in any other region of the country, with a two-headed strategy to promote the destination. If in the past it no longer made sense, today, faced with the great challenge that the post-covid will be, it is vital to be united, “says the official, who took office this morning at the Palácio da Bolsa, quoted in a statement sent to the newsrooms. .
Shared teams
Having overcome the climate of mistrust between these two organizations, who lived behind their backs, Luís Pedro Martins emphasizes that “now there are conditions to design a unique destination brand and the respective marketing plan aligned with the tourism development strategy”. In practice, he details, there will be a “functional integration” between the marketing and communication, reception and marketing and tourism promotion teams.
Even before this unique leadership came to fruition, TPNP and ATP had already rehearsed a joint campaign to invite the Portuguese to take a vacation “up there.” With the aim of attracting national tourists to Porto, Duero, Miño and Trás-os-Montes, it was launched before the summer to try to recoup part of the “enormous losses” suffered by the sector in the first half of this year.
The new ATP board, elected on September 17, is also made up of representatives of the Porto City Council, Ricardo Valente, of the Porto Trade Association, Nuno Botelho, of the Braga City Council, Ricardo Rio, of ANA Aeroportos (Fernando Vieira) and the Serralves Foundation (Ana Pinho), among other members of sectoral organizations in the hospitality, tourism and restaurant sectors.
Speaking to journalists, on the sidelines of the inauguration held at the Palácio da Bolsa, in Porto, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rita Marques, stressed that the North deserved to have “one voice” in this sector for a long time, hoping that the region can help the country recover the income lost from the covid-19 pandemic.
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