Azores to launch winter tourism campaign for domestic market

Regional secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures Berta Cabral announced the campaign during World Tourism Day celebrations on Graciosa on Sunday. The campaign is part of a strategy to combat seasonality and strengthen tourist flows across all islands.

The celebrations were held under the theme "Agenda Digital e Inteligência Artificial para redesenhar o turismo". Cabral said tourism promotion would remain a strategic priority despite a more demanding context expected for winter IATA 2026-2027.

Cabral said tourism in the Azores is in a challenging phase, while 2026 is the region's second-best year for tourism. Visit Azores will significantly reinforce promotional activity, particularly in the domestic market and low season. Cabral said the aim is to raise the destination's profile, generate flows to all islands, reduce seasonality and create year-round opportunities for the sector.

The regional government said more than three dozen in-person promotional actions involving journalists, tour operators and content creators from domestic and international markets are planned by the end of 2026. During summer 2026, 16 airlines served the archipelago on 30 routes connecting to 12 countries, Cabral said.

For 2027, Transavia's Brussels-Ponta Delgada route and United Airlines' Newark-Terceira route have already been announced. The Azores Regional Fund for the Development of Air Routes has been sent to the European Commission for prior assessment as an additional instrument to support stronger external air connectivity.

Cabral said digital transformation and artificial intelligence will play a decisive role in regional tourism. She cited investment in digitalisation, intelligent monitoring and efficient tourist-flow management, including the MONITUR platform.

The more than three dozen in-person promotional actions planned by the end of 2026 will include familiarisation trips and press trips, designed to give participants direct experience of the Azorean tourism offer and generate new destination-promotion content and opportunities. MONITUR uses sensors, predictive analysis and artificial intelligence to support tourism-management decisions.

Berta Cabral said the Azores government will continue working to consolidate strategic markets and attract new air operations for the winter period.

Berta Cabral said technology would improve visitors' experience, support the development of new tourism products and enable more efficient, sustainable destination management.

She also thanked businesses, workers, associations and public bodies for their contribution to the tourism sector's results.

Berta Cabral said the Azores have "extraordinary resources, a unique identity and a recognised capacity to turn challenges into opportunities."

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