31 March 2014 - As part of his official visit to the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe J. Lhuillier met with the island’s Director of Regional Tourism, Dr. Bruno Freitas on March 20.

The Ambassador and Director Freitas discussed possible collaboration between the Philippines and Madeira in terms of exchanging best practices in tourism, raising awareness among Filipinos and the Portuguese regarding each other’s countries, and enhancing linkages. The former also took the opportunity to gain insights on the European tourism market in order to help the Embassy come up with effective strategies in promoting the Philippines as a tourist destination.

Madeira is a year-round tourist destination and despite having only a 30,000-bed capacity in the whole island, it manages to attract around 1,000,000 tourists annually and another 500,000 from cruise ships that regularly dock at Madeira’s Funchal port. According to Director Freitas, European tourists usually tend to stay an average of 5.5 days and spend around 100 euros per day during the course of their stay.

According to Ambassador Lhuillier, learning from Madeira’s experience and success in tourism is beneficial to the Philippines as there are many things on offer in Madeira that is also present in the Philippines: pleasant weather, island environment, beaches, water-based activities, hiking trails, natural attractions, historical/cultural sites, and rich cuisine.

The attraction of Madeira to European tourists, especially those seeking to escape the winter season and looking for beach destinations means that the Philippines should be able to effectively tap this market as well. END