Ponta Delgada airport, the main international airport for the archipelago, also reported a 33.6% increase in passenger numbers in April compared to last year.
The Azores saw a boom in tourism from Britain following the launch of Ryanair’s new weekly service to Ponta Delgada in Sao Miguel Island in the spring.
The Portuguese archipelago’s hotels experienced a 42.3% increase (from 2014) in room occupancy by British tourists in the four months (April to July) following the introduction of the new service from London Stansted at the beginning of April.
Ponta Delgada airport, the main international airport for the archipelago, also reported a 33.6% increase in passenger numbers in April compared to last year.
Originally scheduled until October, the new Ryanair service which departs every Saturday afternoon has now been extended until at least March 2016.
SATA International continues to offer a direct weekly service from London Gatwick to Ponta Delgada between April and October, and daily internal flights between all nine of the islands throughout the year. EasyJet also introduced four new flights from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada in March, providing more flight options via Lisbon from UK airports.
A short four hour flight from the UK, the Azores is comprised of nine volcanic islands in the heart of the Atlantic and offers some of Europe’s most beautiful protected landscapes and extraordinary adventure, wildlife and cultural experiences.
These include swimming with wild dolphins or blue sharks in their natural habitat, world-class whale watching tours in search of the islands’ 25 resident and migratory cetacean species and diving for pelagic sea life. Adventure seekers will find excellent hiking, cycling, surfing, golf, sailing, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding, as well as more extreme sports such as canyoning, coasteering and mountain climbing.
There is also a wealth of culture to be discovered in historic villages, chapels and at religious festivals, as well as a number of growing music and culinary events. Fascinating volcanic sites are plentiful, and include underground magma chambers (Gruta das Torres) in Pico Island, hot springs and a volcanic swimming pool in Furnas, Sao Miguel island, and the world-class Caplenihos interpretation centre in Faial Island, which is surrounded by unusual landscapes from a recent eruption.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
