Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Portugal, which is all set to welcome more international visitors, says it hopes to see tourists from India as well.
Claudia Matias, Director, Turismo de Portugal, India,saidthe Portuguese government has been taking all necessary public health measures to protect the entire population. The analysis of the evolution of the outbreak is constant and implementation of new measures will be carried out whenever necessary.
“We believe, we have managed this situation with good results. Our main concern is always criteria and responsibility for public and health assurance. We are seen as an example of how well we managed the pandemic situation, and because of Turismo de Portugal initiatives, we were the first European Country awarded with ‘Safe Travels’ stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council,” she added.
Clean&Safe stamp certifies tourism activities or equipment (from rent a car to hotels, museums to event venues, etc) that comply with cleanliness and health protocols. Turismo de Portugal gave more than 22,300 stamps and trained more than 22,000 staff. Tourists can track all the establishments and tourist services with a Clean&Safe stamp, on a specific website.
There are rules regarding social distancing and use of beach facilities and equipment. The level of occupancy will be shown using coloured flags at the beach, and travellers should download the Info Praia app, which will show real-time information on water quality and occupancy levels.
As far as domestic tourism is concerned Turismo de Portugal launched a campaign #TuPodes, visita Portugal, being an invitation to all the Portuguese to discover the reasons which made the country World’s Leading Destination. Claudia went on to say, “We have been having tourists and they are enjoying themselves and we are obliviously very grateful to them because all partners in the tourism sector in Portugal, either private or public have worked together and very hard to set Portugal as a safe destination! In September we had a 45 per cent air connectivity capacity, 35 international airlines, 100 cities. Portugal is already one of the most approached destinations by international travellers, with four of the 21 safest destinations: Madeira, Azores, Alentejo and Algarve being selected by the European Best Destinations for 2020 summer inside Europe.
