The new connection is the result of collaborative work between Turismo de Portugal, ANA Aeroportos, Turismo do Porto e Norte de Portugal, and Air Canada.

It is the company's first air connection to Porto and the third connection to Portugal.

“The consolidation of these operations between the two countries reinforces the diversification of airport operations and triggers new commercial opportunities originating in the Canadian market, where Air Canada has been one of the reference partners”.

Carlos Abade, President of Turismo de Portugal, states: “this is the result of work that aims to continue diversifying the markets that send tourists to Portugal, while at the same time reinforcing the focus on deconcentrating tourist attractions in our territory, in line with the vision of having tourists throughout the territory, all year round”.

Canada is a promising market for value tourism in Portugal. According to Turismo de Portugal, in 2023, Canada ranked 10th in terms of external demand for the destination of Portugal, measured by the overnight stays indicator (2.7% share) and ranked 9th for the guests indicator (3.3% share).

In that year, overnight stays by tourists from Canada in Portugal increased by 56.9% and guests increased by 54.5% compared to the previous year, totalling 593,000 guests.