Obsessed by the idea that Brexit might impact booming tourism industry of Portugal, a government agency has introduced a new campaign to say “Brelcome” to the thousands of British travelers who choose the country as a holiday destination.
“Portugal will never leave you” is the main slogan of the “Brelcome” campaign, which by now has reached around 6 million Britons via social media and other digital platforms, the Turismo de Portugal agency said.
Vacationers from Britain are the largest tourism market for Portugal, representing 20 percent of the sector. However, in 2018, they already stayed fewer nights, declining 7.3 percent compared with 2017, according to official data.
The pound tanked after the June 2016 referendum result and from that time onward, gyrated wildly on any Brexit news—potentially making destinations like Turkey, more attractive.
A Reuter’s poll displayed that if Britain ends up crashing out of the bloc without a deal, the pound could fall about 5 percent. The European Union on April 10 gave Britain six more months to leave.
For British sunseekers, Spain is the most popular destination which accounted for 9 percent of foreign visitors in 2018, is seen as the biggest loser from a no-deal Brexit, which could wipe off $1 billion in spending between 2019 and 2025, according to Euromonitor.
Taking pre-emptive action, the campaign of Portugal, introduced last month, has a series of videos saying its beaches, golf courses, and wine cellars will always be there, with or without Brexit.
“We thought this was the right opportunity to tell a very good friend that we will never leave them,” president of Turismo de Portugal Luis Araujo told Reuters, noting that the two countries are the world’s oldest allies, forged through a 1386 treaty.
