Music and Vinho Verde in the Minho
Familiarization Trips (Fam Trips, for short) for Tour Operators and Travel Agents are common practice for the travel industry. For the tourism provider it is probably by far the most cost-effective marketing tool they can invest in to gain greater market share and sales. The provider is able to appeal to the Agent’s five senses by providing culinary and cultural experiences. This kind of marketing activity aims to inspire the agent to design and develop new products using the destination and providers sponsoring the Fam Trip as well as of course helping to sell their product better. Few, if any Fam Trips are offered to Tour Operators exclusively related to Wine and Culinary tourism. The Fam Trip: Grape Escape Programme is probably a unique opportunity to discover most of Portugal’s wine regions.
The 2011 Wine Tourism Workshop & Fam Trip will take place between 2nd & 6th February in Porto, Portugal. International tour operators and travel agents will join together to meet international wine tourism providers including wineries, hotels, tourist boards, wine routes, incoming agents, to discuss grape escape ideas for the FIT, MICE, and the Organised Groups Markets.
Workshop Venue: Pousada do Porto, Palacio do Freixo
Palaco do Freixo on the banks of the Douro
Designed by the architect Nasoni and built in the mid 18th century, the Palácio do Freixo (Freixo Palace) is one of the most remarkable examples of Portuguese civil architecture from the baroque period. The Pousada has preserved the entire facade of the palace buildings, which became a National Monument in 1910. The charming setting, the cuisine and the considerable on-site capacity make this the ideal choice not only for the Wine Tourism Conference but also as a venue for the Wine Tourism Workshop.
Post Workshop Tours – 3 Itineraries to Choose from!
The vineyards in Portugal cover 350,000 hectares. Portugal has more than 250 grape varieties spread across 26 DOC Appellations. Porto, Portugal’s second major city is one of the Great Wine Capitals of the World and of course known worldwide for excellence in Port.
Wine Tourism: Popular with Scandinavians
Post tour itineraries take international Tour Operators and Travel Agents to taste crisp,light and slightly fizzy Vinho Verdes in the green Minho region, to taste powerful dark reds from the Douro Valley and sweet Moscatel and fleshy whites in the Sétubal and Alentejo regions. They’ll get to visit and stay in charming hotels ranging from small FIT types to ones suitable for MICE and group travel. They’ll also get very spoilt when it comes to Portuguese cuisine at wine matching lunches and dinners. Portugal is a grape escape destination just waiting to be discovered by wine lovers around the world!
Agents attending the event will benefit from: Seminar programme, Wine tasting networking activity & food and wine matching dinner,Workshop participation & tastings featuring various Portuguese & international wines, 3 day post Workshop tour – 3 itineraries to choose from!, 4 nights’ hotel accommodation (2 – 5 Feb) with breakfast, Lunches and dinners for the duration of the Fam Trip, Venue and leisure programme, Scheduled bus transfers to and from Porto Airport.
Shades of Green - that's Portugal!
To date 20 tour operators/agents are confirmed already which means there are just 12 places remaining and we would expect them to be filled October 31st latest so if you are a travel agent reading this post get your skates on!
Participating Fam tripers should also make time to attend the International Wine Tourism Conference which begins on the 31st January through to the 2 Feb for seminar input and networking with more than 200 – 300 expected delegates.
We want to come for the wine conference before the FAM trio do we need tickets? And, any ideas of hotels close by? thanks.