Portimão Steps Up Presence at International Tourism Fairs and 2026 marks a year of strengthened destination promotion
Portimão is set to begin its tour of major international tourism fairs across Europe on 17 January, as part of a reinforced promotional strategy for the destination in 2026.
BOOT – Boat Show & Watersports Exhibition
The first stop will be BOOT – Boat Show & Watersports Exhibition, taking place in Düsseldorf until 25 January. One of the world’s largest events dedicated to boating and diving, BOOT provides an important platform to strengthen Portimão’s positioning as a sea-oriented destination, particularly in nautical tourism and diving. Portimão will participate within a regional framework, under the auspices of the ATA – Algarve Tourism Association.
FITUR Madrid
Later in January, Portimão will also take part in FITUR Madrid, joining nine Algarve municipalities between 21 and 25 January. This joint initiative, developed in partnership with the Albufeira Promotion Agency (APAL), brings together municipal efforts in a coordinated tourism promotion action.
A key highlight of FITUR will be the creation of an approximately 60 m² space dedicated to the integrated promotion of the Algarve, presented under a single brand and the unified identity “Algarve”. This unprecedented regional initiative reinforces a strategy based on territorial scale and inter-municipal cooperation for tourism promotion.
BTL – Better Tourism Lisbon Travel Market
From 25 February to 1 March, Portimão will be present at BTL – Better Tourism Lisbon Travel Market. In 2026, BTL will bring together more than 1,500 exhibitors representing a wide diversity of destinations, offering over 600 events across five days. The event serves as a major platform for networking, innovation and knowledge, featuring conferences, workshops, cultural performances and interactive experiences.
Portimão’s main objective at BTL is to showcase a range of communication and promotional initiatives that, throughout the year, invite tourists to visit the destination. With the Algarve selected as National Guest Destination at this year’s BTL, Portimão’s presence at Portugal’s largest international tourism fair will be further leveraged. BTL remains a strategic platform for promoting Tourism in Portimão, ensuring a strong and highly targeted presence.
FINE – Wine Tourism Expo
In March, Portimão will once again focus on the Spanish market, this time within the scope of its wine tourism development strategy, by participating in FINE – Wine Tourism Expo. This event is a business forum for Europe’s wine regions and a meeting point for producers and wine tourism operators from international markets.
Under the umbrella brand “Algarve Golden Terroir”, Portimão will take part in a joint territorial promotion alongside the other municipalities involved in the project. The initiative will highlight wines and wine tourism, promoting wine tourism experiences planned for 2026. In addition to exhibitions, FINE enables direct contact with tourism professionals and offers exclusive networking areas. The fair attracts operators and agencies from markets such as the United States, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Spain, standing out for its focus on high-quality, experience-driven tourism segments.
B-Travel
Between 20 and 22 March, Portimão will travel to Barcelona to participate in B-Travel, one of Spain’s most significant tourism promotion events and a key reference at Iberian, European and global levels. Tourism of Portimão will attend as part of the Turismo do Algarve delegation, alongside other Algarve municipalities, engaging with nearly all Spanish sub-destinations and many of the world’s leading tourist destinations.
This participation also aims to capitalise on direct flights between Faro and Barcelona, with the expectation of increasing tourism flows between Catalonia and the Algarve.
Expovacaciones
In May, the promotional route continues to Bilbao, with Portimão’s presence at Expovacaciones. This leading Spanish travel fair provides an opportunity to promote Portimão’s tourism offer, particularly strategic products for the region, with a strong emphasis on complementary and emerging products. The objective is to mitigate seasonality and introduce the destination to new international buyers.
The recent launch of direct flights between Faro and Bilbao is also expected to boost tourist flows between the Basque Country and the Algarve, making promotion in this outbound market especially relevant. Portimão’s participation will once again take place within a regional framework under the Turismo do Algarve.
Southampton Boat Show
Finally, in September, Portimão will attend another edition of the Southampton Boat Show, one of Europe’s most important and prestigious nautical events. The primary objective is to reinforce the destination’s positioning as a nautical hub in the UK market.
Promotion will focus on the Portimão Nautical Station, highlighting the excellence of its infrastructure, strategic location, quality and diversity of services, as well as the complementary tourism products available. This participation will be carried out as part of a regional representation of the Algarve’s nautical stations, under the aegis of the ATA – Algarve Tourism Association.
Portimão has been pursuing a strategic shift away from an exclusive “sun and sea” tourism model, seeking instead to unlock the potential of other segments within its broad and diverse tourism offering.
