"On this side, we saw that there is a gap", said the person in charge. "There are no companies like us that invest in a tailor-made product", he added.

Based in Fall River, Massachusetts, Sagres Vacations creates personalized trips according to clients' purposes, which can range from visiting Portugal to buy a home or do business, to corporate retreats and themed visits.

"More than luxury, we are destination specialists. Luxury for us is more about exclusivity and authenticity", said Marco Fernandes.

This year, the company is preparing an itinerary dedicated to fado in Lisbon and in 2025 it intends to launch "A Portuguese Movie Journey with Pedro Carmo", a program with the Portuguese actor that will allow you to see places portrayed in films such as "Comboio Noturno para Lisboa" and the recent "Fast and Furious X".

"Selling Portugal is not just travel, it's not just leisure", said the person in charge. "It's selling the destination and when people get there they love it and then they come back, they tell their family and they want to come back," he explained.

To respond to the opportunity in California, Sagres Vacations is organizing events with agents interested in learning about Portugal and designing strategic partnerships, similar to what it did in New York with the O Valor do Tempo group, which owns O Mundo Fantástico da Sardinha Portuguese.

"We try to do events to 'experience' Portugal and we want to start doing them here", he indicated. The first should be at the end of 2024.

Direct flights

Marco Fernandes said that one of the factors driving greater interest from the West Coast was the emergence of direct TAP flights between San Francisco and Lisbon, considering that the addition of Los Angeles as a departure city would also be beneficial. Around 90% of its customers are North Americans.

"What is growing the most at the moment are tailored programs and also the niche of organizations that want to do 'team building'", he indicated. "We have wine clubs that are doing an itinerary with us to the Douro and Alentejo. We have country clubs that are doing tours for golfers in the Azores and Algarve", he explained.

Another factor is the perception of security in Portugal, at a time when the wars in Ukraine and Gaza complicate geopolitics. "When these things happen in the world, Portugal distinguishes itself as a safe destination", stated the vice president.

On the other hand, there is a greater appreciation for Portuguese hospitality and the ease of communication in English. "I think this has helped a lot to grow", said Marco Fernandes. "And then it's networking: people come back and talk about Portugal," he said.