The Algarve Promotion Board (ATA) will be attending the main tourism fairs which are taking place during the month of April. From 17th to 19th April, the Algarve will be present at IMEX in Frankfurt, the key fair for the congress and incentive tourism segment, which is aimed at professionals in the sector.

Last year, IMEX was attended by 3,300 exhibitors from some 150 countries. In 2006, the German market was responsible for about 1.6 million overnight stays in the Algarve, the equivalent of 11.5% of the regional total. The number of guests was about 236,000, which is 8.5% of the total number recorded in the Algarve.

The ATA will also be participating in SITC – the Catalonia International Tourism Salon, which is taking place in Barcelona from 19th to 22nd April. The event has consolidated its position as one of the most important tourism fairs in Spain aimed at the end consumer.

With this event, the ATA completes its participation in the most important events scheduled for the first half of 2007.

This year, the presence of the Algarve in Catalonia is of increased importance owing to the new Girona-Faro route which brings the region closer to the six million people living in Girona and Barcelona.

Spain represented 4.5% of the total number of overnight stays recorded in the Algarve last year, a total of 617,156 Spanish tourists, representing an increase of 27.2% as compared with 2005.

According to the ATA, the Spanish stay for an average of 3.1 nights in the region.

source: algarve observer