West End shows in Algarve

Algarve pins hopes on West End shows to boost tourism.

Portugal’s economy may be in a fragile state, with many believing a European bailout is impending, but that has not stopped the county’s national tourism agency searching for new ideas to attract tourists to Portugal this summer.

Part of the drive to lure British tourists to the Algarve includes a series of West End shows to be put on at various locations throughout southern Portugal this summer.

The entertainment programme is known as the ‘Algarve Nations’, and has been inaugurated, not only as an attempt to re-boost the number of British tourists visiting the Algarve, but also as a celebration of the unique culture of the area, which has helped make it one of the top tourist destinations in Europe.

The succession of shows and acts to be shown throughout the summer will include some of Britain’s most celebrated West End shows such as ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Evita’.

Music will also play an integral part of the Algarve Nations with many British bands and artists, including Morcheeba, jazz sensation Norma Winstone and the electronic trip-hop band from Manchester, The Lamb. Although the focus of this year’s Algarve Nations will be on British entertainment, the summer-long event is also inviting acts from the international stage to showcase their talents.

According to Augusto Miranda, co-ordinator of the Algarve Nations campaign:

“For this edition we have chosen the United Kingdom, which is our main tourism market, with a programme that includes British artists as well as national ones. The cherry on the cake is that we are still working on the programme and there are more surprises to come.”

The steady flow of tourists from the UK has been paramount in preventing Portugal from following in the footsteps of Greece and Ireland by requiring a bailout by the International Monetary Fund. Although many believe a Portuguese bailout is inevitable, Augusto Mirando is confident that the Portuguese tourism industry will secure the normal budget of 3 million euros for promotional activities this summer.

Another glimmer of hope for boosting the number of British tourists holidaying in Algarve this year rests upon the budget airline sector, with Jet2.com recently announcing that it is adding to additional routes to Faro from April 2011.

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