It won’t be possible for many tourists to travel to the Algarve this week for their traditional summer holiday, but they can still enjoy one of the region’s most spectacular attractions.
Tourism authorities are inviting people to “discover probably the best sunset in the world” from this Friday to Sunday (14-16 August), via a live streaming from Sagres – the most south-western point of Portugal and Europe.
Called “Sagres Sunset Shots”, the event is being promoted by Algarve Tourism Bureau in partnership with Vila do Bispo municipality. The area’s exceptional sunset attracts thousands of visitors every year, but obviously some are being forced to miss this year’s spectacle because of coronavirus travel restrictions.
So in 2020, for the first time, the event will be animated with music and shared with awe-struck viewers around the world.
Each night, as the sun is setting, performances by national artists and DJs will be filmed with three cameras, including a drone, to provide the best views possible, and they will be streamed live on the Algarve Tourism and VisitAlgarve Facebook pages as well as the Visit Algarve YouTube page – between 8pm and 9pm, depending on when the sun starts to set.
According to Algarve Tourism Bureau president João Fernandes, “The Sagres Sunset Shots allows us to show the beauty of another corner of our region, now enriched with an entertainment component, through music. Given the current restrictions, this is an event specially designed to be experienced online, with live streaming, so we are sure it will capture all the charm of this natural landscape and surprise those who join us through social networks.”
The event will showcase the moment when the colours of the sun gradually change and the blue sea of the Atlantic Ocean turns golden, as the sun eventually disappears on the horizon. At that time, according to the organisers, the light of the Cabo de São Vicente lighthouse (one of the most powerful in the world) is switched on, and the brightness of the beam gains intensity even at dusk. “It is one of the most emblematic landscapes in the region.”
Noting that the initiative is both “differentiating and engaging“, Vila do Bispo mayor Adelino Soares said, “The Sagres Sunset Shots presents an enormous potential to make the beauty of our landscape known to thousands of potential visitors. Sharing this natural setting in our municipality is an opportunity to reinforce the tourist promotion of the destination, which has unique attractions and provides unforgettable experiences for those who visit us.”
Sagres Sunset Shots features the signature “The Algarve looks good at sunset” slogan, establishing a link to the destination’s new promotional campaign, which aims to motivate national and foreign tourists to enjoy their holidays in the Algarve, “the main tourist destination in the country”.