According to Publituris, Canada is currently “a rapidly growing tourism market in the Azores” and is "expected to grow in the coming years”, revealed Berta Cabral, Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure of the Azores, during the opening session of the International Destinations Conference of ACTA-Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors, in Ponta Delgada.

“Canada is now among the top five international tourism source markets for the Azores. Overnight stays by Canadian tourists grew by 63% last year, and we expect another significant increase this year,” said Besta Cabral, highlighting the work that VisitAzores has been doing in the Canadian market.

The regional leader recalled the “special history of emigration and bilateral agreements” that the Azores share with Canada, welcoming the fact that, currently, this relationship goes “beyond the diaspora, since Canadian tourism has been registering significant growth in the region”.

The fact that the Azores are hosting the current ACTA meeting is according to Berta Cabral, also a sign of the Azores' commitment to Canada, while also representing “a great opportunity” to showcase the beauty of the islands, the hospitality of our people and the quality of the Azorean tourism offering.

“We are optimistic that this is just the beginning of a long, successful and mutually beneficial partnership”, said the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure of the Azores.

Berta Cabral then took stock of the tourism growth that the Azores have been experiencing, which has led to an increase of almost 16% in overnight stays over the past year, with the total number of overnight stays in the Azores expected to reach four million this year.

“Today, tourism represents around one billion euros in the Azorean economy, which corresponds to around 17% of GDP, 16% of jobs and 20% of GVA”, added Berta Cabral, highlighting that Tourism is “one of the most important sectors” of the Azorean economy.

The regional governor also recalled that the Azores received the Gold Level certification as a Sustainable Destination by Earth Check, which highlights “the region's commitment to sustainable development” and received the title of “Best Adventure Tourism Destination in the World” last year, also recalling that Nature Tourism is the “main product” of Azorean tourism.

The ACTA international congress took around 150 travel agents and travel advisors from Canada to the Azores, representing an effort by Visit Azores and Turismo de Portugal, as part of the process of promoting the Region externally.