There was a countdown, a message from Cristiano Ronaldo, and sixty minutes of Portuguese landscapes on the main screens in Times Square. Portugal took over the panels of the most famous square in New York this Fridayin an initiative that lasted an hour and which marked the start of a new plan to promote the country in the North American market.

“This is better than the end of the year”, commented Luís Araújo, president of Turismo de Portugal, at the top of the famous red stairs in the square – where New Year’s Eve is also celebrated. oh call to assume of digital billboards in Times Square, including the important One Times Square (the building with the famous ball at the top), had started a few seconds ago and the feeling was still one of emotion – after a first moment centered on Cristiano Ronaldo, who goes on to figure in wax at Madame Tussauds Museum🇧🇷

The new year is still over a month away, but the Portugal tourism is already preparing it and decided to bet on 24 landscapes for this initiative, “with all regions developed during the same period of time”, guarantees Luís Araújo. The head of the national tourist authority does not hide his desire to repeat the success of the Nazaré giant wave videos, presented in 2018, but that did not lead the team to opt for the easy way out. This time, one choice fell on a visually less impactful workbut which has diversity and a sense of community as its greatest assets.

The medieval village of Óbidos, Ericeira, the schist village of Cerdeira, Serra da Estrela, Porto (Casa da Música and Serralves), Douro, Lisbon (MAAT, Arco da Rua Augusta and Miradouro Sta. Luzia), Sintra , the Algarve (Praia dos 3 Irmãos and Sete Vales Suspensos) and the Alentejo (Alqueva, wine tourism, Monsaraz and Comporta) are the areas represented in mainland Portugal, to which are added the Azores – with Lagoa das Sete Cidades, Salto do Cabrito, such as Furnas and Praia do Moinho – and Madeira, with Pico Ruivo, Pico do Arieiro and Levada do Larano.

REACH 500 MILLION PEOPLE

To Expresso, Luís Araújou said that, with this promotion of Portugal in the United States, a reach 500 million people worldwide – something that should leverage sales of Portuguese tourism in the North American territory, at a time when it is gaining increasing weight in Portugal.

Until September of this year, there was a growth in the number of guests (21.6%) and overnight stays (22.4%), compared to 2019, which made the US market the fourth main source for Portugal and the fifth in terms of overnight stays. With regard to tourist revenues, the market registers in the year (between January and September 2022) an increase of 48% compared to the same period of the last pre-pandemic year. In September alone, revenues from the US market grew by +63.7% and it is this trend that Turismo de Portugal wants to take advantage of, encouraging the acceleration of growth in this market.

ON ALL SCREENS

Nicknamed “Close to US” (taking advantage of the double meaning “Close to us”/“Close to the United States”), the campaign that started this Friday gains a celebrated expression in the coming days, with a strong focus on digital marketing. The idea is to promote Portugal “as an inspiring destination that knows how to receive, demonstrating the privileged geographical position and connectivity” between North America and the country, highlights Turismo de Portugal in a press release.

At a time when the number of North Americans in transit is growing – due to the Thanksgiving at the end of the month – and that there is a greater predisposition to book vacations and travel, Portugal will be present in a network of 3,000 digital billboards at airports with direct connections to Portugal🇧🇷 The “Close to US” campaign has an expected impact of 55 million impressions, to which must be added the media impact and views of around 12 million users of JFK, La Guardia and Newark airports🇧🇷