Boosted by its new-found prestige, Lisbon In just a few years, France has become one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. In 2018, almost one million of the five million visitors to Portugal came from France. A market that has seen annual growth of more than 5 % over the last five years, the Portuguese capital being all the more attractive because it is directly linked to Paris, of course, but also to nine major provincial cities. These figures are not just the result of leisure travel: Lisbon has become a top destination for business tourismThis segment is known in the industry as MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events). In 2017, 15 % of tourism revenue was generated by this customer segment. In 2018, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) even ranked Lisbon as the sixth most attractive city in the world for international conferences, ahead of London.
Paula Oliveira, Executive Director of Lisbon Tourism and the Visitors & Convention Bureau, explains that the diversity of experiences available in Lisbon and the surrounding area is extraordinary: "The city has a lot to offer.Lisbon is a real business and MICE hub. Congress venues for international eventsbut also hotels and incentive options are growing all the time."He adds that the proximity of a seaside resort like Cascais, a Unesco-listed site like Sintra or a nature park like Arrabida adds value to the destination. "Our mission is to maintain Lisbon's attractiveness through international events and a wide range of infrastructures, but also to maintain the value for money of its services."she stresses.
Baroque palaces and designer venues
This major advantage is also highlighted by Manuel Horta, French market specialist for the Abreu incoming agency: "We can organise at very affordable prices dinners or events in gardens, former convents or churches, on the river, in baroque palaces or contemporary buildings, on beacheshe says. The only downside is that hotel prices have risen sharply in recent years."
This agency, founded in Porto in 1840, aims to show that Lisbon is a 'resort' capital with a multitude of possible pleasures, ranging from a tuk-tuk ride through the city to the most exotic events. dinners on privatised tramsSome receptive events can even call on service providers like Boost, who organise tours in Volkswagen Beetles, team-building sessions in Go cars or treasure hunts on electric bikes, which are always very useful in this city of seven hills. "And yet, the French most often opt for the simplest activities, cultural visits and gastronomic discoveries first and foremost."continues Manuel Horta.
Another suggestion is to go from one place to another for dinner: starters in a restaurant with fado music, the main course in a former convent, dessert in a palace decorated in the style of the day, thus combining culture and gastronomy. Not to mention dinners on the Tagus. By boat, of course, but why not in the new cruise terminal designed by Portuguese architect Carrilho da Graça. On the roof terrace of this sublime building with its pure lines, you can organise cocktails with a view, or events and conferences in the rooms on the ground floor.
Another popular venue for gala dinners and conferences is the very beautiful Pátio da Galé, near the famous Place du Commerce, a a place steeped in history These are the former royal warehouses where spices and silks from India were unloaded. In addition to these multi-purpose venues, there are larger spaces for large-scale events, such as the Lisbon Congress Centre, near Belém, or the Feira Internacional da Lisboa, in the Parque das Nações districtlocated along the Tagus River. However, with the Portuguese capital asserting itself so confidently on the MICE scene, there is talk of adding pavilions to the congress areas. Nothing has been decided or signed yet; it's all just rumours in the corridors...
