[IMG=20654-6431]Tour operators that specialize in organizing tours to Portugal are indignant at international news agencies: Euronews broadcasts forests in fire in the North of the country every half an hour, while BBC frightens the audience with possibility of fires in Algarve, the main resort in Portugal. Meanwhile, travel market experts, interviewed by a BANKO correspondent, emphasize that there is no reason for panic.
‘Journalists think that the fire from forests might spread to the Atlantic Ocean!’, said ironically Maria Vlasova, General Director Deputy of Altosol, ‘we have been working on the Potugese destination for 11 years and every August the situation repeats’. Vlasova added that there are fires in the North of Portugal every summer however they never spread to the South where travel resorts are located. ‘Main fire locations are 300-400 kilometers far from Algarve and in the North, close to Spain’, said Felix Dubovitsky, General Director of Valtex Travel.
Annually Russian tour operators receive official information from the Trade Office and the Embassy of Russia in Portugal pointing out that fire locations do not affect travel routes and resorts. At the moment tour operators are waiting for the information but Felix Dubovitsky believes the content will remain the same.
Furthermore, there are no signals from those tourists who are on holidays in Portugal at the moment. Besides, according to travel market analytics, Russian tourists have never been in emergency situations owing fires in the North of the country.
