Kahini Chakraborty – Mumbai
With an aim to increase awareness about Portugal as a tourism destination in the India market, Namaste Tourism is now representing Osiris- a Portugal-based DMC that covers Iberian Peninsula-Spain and Portugal. Osiris is also tied up with Vila Gale, one of the largest chain of hotels in Portugal with over 18 properties. Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld on the partnership, Ricardo Ferreira, Osiris Travel said, “We are a company of more than 20 years of experience and do inbound to Portugal and Spain. With India being an important market for us, the first important step was to tie-up with a well-known company in India, and we are glad to be associated with Namaste Tourism. Through this partnership we are looking at positioning and promoting Portugal as an affordable destination for families, FIT, groups and MICE travellers.”
Explaining about the tourism offerings of the destination, Subhash Motwani, founder director, Namaste Tourism informed that Portugal can be said to be the Goa of Europe. One of the most important reasons to consider Portugal could be the tourism experiences associated to the famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo; for gastronomical delight – Algarve – southernmost region of Portugal which has about 25 Indian restaurants; unique olive and wine experiences in Duoro, Porto valley which is three hours’ drive from Lisbon; Estoril for casinos; University of Coimbra, established in 1290, which is one of the oldest universities in operation in the world, can also be visited.
“One of the unique experiences that we can offer is to organise a programme called, ‘Be a Ronaldo for a day’ for all segments of travellers through which they can visit the place where the footballer lived in his early days, the academy where he started to play as well as the stadium,” mentioned Ferreira.
“If Portugal tourism also takes the initiative and targets Bollywood tourism from India, Portugal as a destination can become a preferred destination for travellers heading to Europe. Travellers can also opt for self drive and adventure holiday options. Osiris can offer end-to-end solutions for travellers looking for unique experiences in Portugal and Spain. We could look at doing thematic weddings as well,” said Motwani, adding that, “We have spent time in educating the travel trade about Portugal as a destination and the feedback has been positive. We are keen to continue organising workshops. For long-haul travel to gain momentum, destinations need to focus on areas such as- good tourism offerings, ease of visa process, flight connectivity.”