The first flight of the weekly connection between Terceira and the US city of San Francisco, operated by TAP Air Portugal, took off from Lajes on June 3.

Yesterday, DI met with Mário Chaves, Chief Operating Officer of TAP, who has ties to the Azores. He spent three years at SATA. “I know all the islands well,” he sums up.

He says he is “suspicious” when asked about the potential of Terceira in particular and the Azores in general, which he considers to be enormous.

“You have to say what you see on each island… What is characteristic of each one. If people realize that the archipelago is rich, if they don’t see everything at first, they will come back again. Then, naturally, they will choose the place where the offer is best. Everyone likes something different,” he points out.

At the national level, he believes that the Azores are already well-known, but there is a need to promote the unique characteristics of each island. “It takes time to consolidate,” he says.

Then there are foreign tourists. Connections such as the one with San Francisco can open doors. “If good work is done in terms of tourism, in terms of reception, yes. You have to create a product, tell a story. Then we start to have a motto. There was someone who worked for TAP, David Neeleman, who made a good comparison for Americans: ‘This is the Hawaii of the Atlantic,’” he recalls.

Angra do Heroísmo, a city designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, makes it essential to craft a compelling narrative. ”In Terceira, it’s fundamental. Explain that, during the reigns, the Central group was navigable, and Terceira was the center of the Azores. People coming from America like these stories because they don’t have them,” points out the manager.

Another market that Mário Chaves sees as untapped is former military personnel who passed through the Lajes Air Base. ”There are a lot of people who want to bring their grandchildren to show them where their grandfather served. During the Cold War, it was an active base. That market exists. There is a strong connection on the west coast. The most famous Navy School is on that side, on the Pacific. There were people from there who came here to serve. All of this now has to be taken advantage of,” recommends the administrator with operational responsibility.

The connection

The weekly flight between Lisbon and San Francisco, with a stopover on Terceira Island, is seasonal, operating from June to the beginning of September. It is part of a plan to strengthen connections to the archipelago.

“Essentially, it is not only to bring Americans here, but also to welcome the diaspora we have on the west coast of the United States, in California. Therefore, the goal is for the flight to be repeated every year,” says Mário Chaves.

The Diaspora market appears to be “regular,” he points out. “There is an appetite for a direct flight and a preference for this direct flight. It is a solid market,” he stresses.

American tourists with no connection to the islands are the other focus. TAP is promoting the route, which includes a trip for journalists from the US media, who will remain in Terceira until the 10th of this month.

“The east coast knows the Azores. They may not know the islands specifically, but they know where the Azores are because of the direct flights from Boston, Toronto, and New York. But the west coast doesn’t know them. There is work to be done to take advantage of these connections, both in terms of tourism in the Azores and in our promotion,” stresses TAP’s Chief Operating Officer.

This work, the manager emphasizes, must be continuous: ”The east coast has gained a lot. When the flights from New York started, there were many people who were recommended by others who had connections to the Azores and who made this suggestion to their friends. I think there is work to be done in terms of tourism, but then there is also word of mouth that will happen. The offer is growing in Terceira. It will be a stimulus.”