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LISBON, Portugal, Nov. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

VisitPortugal initiated a strong plan to promote the destination in the North

American market, associating itself with the launch event of the most recent

wax figure of Cristiano Ronaldo at the Madame Tussauds Museum in New York City,

through a "take over" of the digital billboards of Times Square. After

revealing the wax figure of Cristiano Ronaldo, VisitPortugal gave each of the

jumbotrons to the Portuguese people for an hour, to show the world the best the

country has to offer, its people and its natural and historical heritage and

also to send a message from Portugal to the world about the importance of

Travelling Better.

With the motto "Close to US", VisitPortugal intends to promote the diversity of

the tourism offer in Portugal and its regions, that which has the most impact

on the American public. From nature to history, from waves to heritage, from

cities to villages, from countryside to islands, all are reasons to choose

Portugal as the destination of your next trip.

This is a unique brand activation in the US with an expected catalytic effect,

expected to reach approximately 500 million people worldwide. In a period of

high opportunity: the week of Thanksgiving and that precedes Black Friday and

Cyber Monday, which are characterized by opportunities for booking future trips

for Americans.

Cristiano Ronaldo's wax figure will be at Madame Tussauds from November 21,

2022, in a space dedicated to the Portuguese athlete called: The CR7

Experience. In parallel, for 15 days, the public visiting the Madame Tussauds

Museum will be impacted with films about Portugal.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most accomplished football icons of our time

and we were thrilled to be team up with Visit Portugal for this special Time

Square reveal; it's an incredible opportunity to shine a light on the beautiful

country and holiday destination of Portugal," said Madame Tussauds New York

Head of Marketing Tiago Mogadouro.

Madame Tussauds New York partnered with the Times Square Alliance, NYC &

Company, as well as the Portuguese Football Federation and VisitPortugal for

this iconic and memorable figure reveal.

The United States proved to be one of the most relevant tourist markets for

Portugal, registering growths in the number of guests, overnight stays and

revenues, of 18.8%, 19.5% and 45.0%, respectively, until August 2022 in

comparison with the same period of 2019.

Portugal's promotion plan in the US intends to reinforce promotional activity

in 2022 and 2023 with the objective of accelerating the growth of this market,

including presence on business platforms, namely at tradeshows, actions with

luxury tourism operators, road shows and workshops.

For the President of VisitPortugal, Luis Araujo, "the support for this event

reflects the commitment to a growing market and the conviction that Portugal is

increasingly close to the US and offers many reasons to be the travel choice

for Americans."

It is important to remember that in 2018, also in Times Square, VisitPortugal

carried out a brand activation, showing Portugal as a Surf destination and

focusing on Portuguese waves, highlighting the giant wave of Nazare, the

biggest wave surfed in the world, an action which impacted around 300 million

people.

ABOUT VISITPORTUGAL: Integrated in the Ministry of Economy and Sea,

VisitPortugal is the Nation Brand for Portugal and is developed by Turismo de

Portugal I.P.

More information at www.visitportugal.com　

ABOUT MADAME TUSSAUDS NEW YORK: Voted as one of New York's most unique

attractions, Madame Tussauds invites you to pose "in a moment in time" with our

famous fun figures of internationally renowned musicians, A-list stars, sports

legends, world leaders and more. New for 2022, step onto the red carpet with

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Bad Bunny. Plus, Madame Tussauds New York's Glow

Gala is packed with 19 celebrities including new and never-before-seen wax

figures of Ariana Grande and P. Diddy. With more than 85,000 square feet of

interactive entertainment, including the expanded MARVEL Hall of Heroes, and

the new Oval Office Experience, the world-famous attraction is bigger and

better than ever! For more information, visit the website at

madametussauds.com/new-york/ and on Facebook.

ABOUT MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS: Merlin Entertainments is a global leader in

location-based, family entertainment. As Europe's number one and the world's

second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin operates more than 140

attractions, 23 hotels and 6 holiday villages in 24 countries across 4

continents. Merlin's purpose is to deliver memorable experiences to its

millions of guests around the world, through its iconic brands and multiple

attraction formats, and the commitment and passion of its employees.

See www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information and follow on Twitter

@MerlinEntsNew

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Source: VisitPortugal