Martinhal joins LIVING IN PORTUGAL shows in the USA & Canada
The Martinhal group will be joining the 4th LIVING IN PORTUGAL road trip in the USA & Canada organized by Open Media from June 15th – 22nd 2024.
Open Media is a long-established media company founded by British-Portuguese businessman Bruce Hawker based in Portugal.
The LIVING IN PORTUGAL show is unique in that it has an array of speakers and exhibitors that showcase businesses that are relevant to anyone considering a move to Portugal. The exhibitors represent a spectrum of carefully chosen businesses that matter to the various aspects of relocation to Portugal.
Chitra Stern, CEO of Martinhal Resorts and Board Member of United Lisbon International School, is originally Singaporean and British, but has been living in Portugal for the last 23 years. With her husband Roman, she has founded and grown different businesses in real estate, hotels and an international school.
“We have been participating in the LIVING IN PORTUGAL events as we have a wide range of relevant offerings for the Americans thinking of moving here – hotels to stay in for their exploratory visits, luxury apartments for their long-term rents when they first decide to move, an international school for their children and luxury apartments to buy when they finally decide to buy a home,” said Chitra Stern. “We already have a lot of engagement from the American market – around 50% of our hotel guests at Martinhal Chiado come from the US. A number of American families already live in Martinhal Residences, our branded residences with 5-star services, and around 10% of our United Lisbon International School’s student population is from the US”.
American tourism in Portugal has grown astronomically in the last few years. The development of new air routes from various cities in the US to the main Portuguese airports has contributed to this growth – with flight capacity between the two countries doubling between 2016 and 2022. In 2016, the US represented 1.1 million room nights in Portugal; in 2023, there were 4.6 million American room nights.
“With the discovery of Portugal as an amazing holiday destination, the Americans have also fallen in love with the temperate climate, the great food and wine, the welcoming people, its safety and security, as well as its affordable private healthcare system,” said Chitra.
“In 2023, given the interest in Portugal from the US, we held our first two US roadshows across 5 American cities to test the ground. The level of interest from visitors to the events was so high, along with the great feedback we had from exhibitors such as the Martinhal group, that we were inspired to roll out three roadshows this year in North America, each taking in three cities,” said Bruce Hawker.
The show earlier this year across Austin, Atlanta and Boston had hundreds of enthusiastic Americans looking for more information on moving to Portugal. These events have speakers on matters covering residency visas, taxation, holidays, schools, real estate, healthcare, health insurance and relocation logistics – all relevant to those considering a move to Portugal.
“These events have been carefully curated by Bruce and his team so as not to be sales presentations but genuine stories and first-hand advice that matter to people considering a move. This suits us as we have many case studies to share with the visitors to the show,” said Chitra Stern.
“We are now getting ready for our June roadshow taking in New York for the second time along with Chicago and including our first event in Canada, taking place in Toronto. Later in the year we will be over on the west coast, returning to both LA and San Francisco and discovering Seattle for the first time,” said Bruce, adding “Our data shows that many people at the show were considering moving to Portugal within one year.”
“While around 35% of attendees were interested in the popular D7 residential visa, there was also interest in the other residence options available, such as the D8 digital nomad visa, or the Golden Visa, by investment in an eligible private equity fund or company. We look forward to breaking our previous records at our next show in June,” said Bruce.
LIVING IN PORTUGAL are a series of events held in different cities providing a wealth of information to attendees. Please register on: https://www.portugalseminars.com
