New Faro-New York flight axed for this season, but US market continues to grow
To the surprise of many (if not everyone), the launch of the highly anticipated Faro-Newark route has been delayed from its original date of May 2024 to the summer of 2025. Tourism officials in the Algarve are not disheartened and continue their efforts to attract more Americans, who are slowly but surely becoming one of the region’s key markets.
Aviation news portal Simple Flying broke the news over the weekend, reporting that the planned launch of the route – the first direct air link between the Algarve and the United States – had been called off.
At the time of writing this article, United Airlines had yet to release an official statement regarding the postponement of the route, although official tourism authorities in the Algarve contacted by the Resident have already confirmed the news.
The Resident has also learned that United Airlines is contacting passengers who had already booked flights with the following message: “We wanted to let you know that we have postponed the start date of our seasonal service to Faro until the summer of 2025, which means your flight(s) (…) will not depart as planned”.
“We understand how frustrating this can be and we want you to know we have arranged different options operated by United and our partners, Lufthansa and TAP Portugal,” the statement adds.
Hélder Martins, president of the Algarve Association of Hotel and Tourism Developments (AHETA), is among those who have already received the message.
“We know that passengers who had already bought tickets are being given alternatives. I had already booked tickets for my family and myself and we are already being offered alternatives,” Martins told the Resident.
The AHETA boss said that the postponement of the route’s launch is “bad news” for the Algarve, as it had attracted “a lot of interest” and was registering a “very good load factor” – ratio of available seats that are occupied.
Although there is still no official word on the reasons behind the postponement of the route, it was reported last week that United Airlines had asked its pilots to take time off in May due to delays in receiving new planes that the airline ordered from Boeing.
Simple Flying has also pointed out that the USA’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has “heightened its oversight” of the airline due to its “recent high-profile safety-related incidents this year, including a tire on a 777-200ER falling off during take-off”.
While having the route launch this year would be great for the hotels in the Algarve, Hélder Martins acknowledges that “safety must come first”.
“We are not expecting that much of an impact among those who had already booked tickets, as alternatives are being offered to passengers. However, it is only natural that it will have an impact on the bookings that could have been made,” said Martins, explaining that “having a direct link between the USA and the Algarve” makes the travel experience much easier for American holidaymakers.
“We remain optimistic. The USA is a market with a lot of potential for the Algarve, and we will also see what impact the new Faro-Ponta Delgada route, operated by SATA, will have,” the hoteliers’ association president said, given that the Azorean airport links to several airports in the USA and Canada.
Algarve tourism chief André Gomes has also lamented the postponement of the route to the summer of 2025.
“It’s not the news we were hoping for,” he told us. “(North America) is still a strategic market for us. It was growing around 70% since the pandemic and there is no reason for it not to keep growing from now on.”
As the president of the region’s tourism board (RTA) and association (ATA) pointed out, “we have a series of promotional events aimed at the American market throughout this year, and we are still moving forward with them.”
In other words, the delayed launch of the Faro-Newark route won’t sway tourism authorities from continuing to focus on the US market.
In fact, André Gomes is still holding on to hope that the Algarve may attract other airlines to operate the same route. “For this year, it will be difficult or impossible, because these routes begin in the April/May period, when the IATA summer begins, or in September/October for low season routes,” he said.
The regional tourism chief admits that the postponement of the route may force tourism authorities and businesses to adjust their expectations for 2024 when it comes to this market, although he believes the increase in seats of Air Transat’s Faro-Toronto route and the new Faro-Ponta Delgada route still pose “opportunities to continue working” on growing this market.
An example of the importance of the US market is the Tivoli Carvoeiro Hotel, whose general manager João Corte Real told the Resident that the USA is now the hotel’s largest market, having overtaken other key markets such as Spain, the UK and the national Portuguese market.
Other hotels along the Algarve, especially in the five-star segment, are reporting similar growth in the US market.
The Resident also spoke to the director of Turismo de Portugal (Portugal Tourism) in the USA, Celina Tavares, who told us that the market continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, with the total number of US citizens visiting Portugal having nearly doubled since 2019, with over 2 million US tourists visiting the country in 2023.
Algarve on right track to build off “auspicious Easter”
After what the Algarve tourism association (ATA) dubbed an “auspicious Easter”, efforts are underway to continue promoting the region’s good name abroad, namely in the USA and Ireland.
Between last Sunday and Wednesday (April 7-10), ATA participated in the Global Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchange in Orlando, USA, an event that brought together American and Canadian representatives from the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE). The goal was to present to attendees “all the arguments that make the Algarve a standout destination for all kinds of corporate events.”
This is due to be followed by a visit to Portugal from the US Tour Operators Association (USTOA), which between April 14 and 21 will bring 25 American tour operators to the country in a bid to “create business opportunities between Portuguese companies and American operators”. The initiative will feature a roundtable discussion attended by all seven national tourism regions (including the Algarve).
Next on the schedule is the Algarve’s participation in the Irish Travel Trade Shows between April 17-18, held in Cork and Dublin and aimed exclusively at Irish tourism professionals.
The Algarve’s Via Algarviana hiking network will be the focus of the second press trip of the month, which will see German journalist Gunter Kast from travel magazine Wanderlust visit the region between April 18 and 24 to discover the “variety of landscapes and natural areas” and the “hospitality and authenticity” of the Algarve’s inland areas.
Finally, the Algarve will turn its attention to Ireland yet again by taking part in a roadshow between April 30 and May 2 “exclusively dedicated to our country as a tourism destination.” Organised by the Irish Travel Trade Representation, the roadshow will include stops in Dublin, Limerick and Cork where the country will be promoted in networking events, promotional activities and much more.
