Portugal Cars Car Hire

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2012-01-15T15:48:00.000Z

Last-Minute Algarve Car Hire Rates Due to Increase by Around 60% This Summer

2010-04-15T15:04:00.006+01:00

This Easter was a good indication of what is about to happen this coming summer. Due to the large shortage of rental cars, in Algarve, Portugal alone the total rental fleet has shrunk by 35% prices for last-minute bookings during high season will go 'sky high'.
This was said by a car hire manager in a recent article in the British newspaper "The Daily Telegraph".
With this shrink of car hire fleets Algarve Car Hire companies have too few cars available to maintain their profit line; consequently, they push up their prices as it usually happens following the laws of the market and last-minute bookings for Summer 2010 are expected to increase by around 60%.
The interesting thing about this article of the british newspaper is that it confirms what we at Portugal Cars have been alerting our customer for in several emails sent and published articles.
We wrote several times about the need of booking in advance for rush seasons in order to guarantee car hire availability and this Easter was already a good indication that we are right: Algarve Car Hire companies exausted their capacity for the two weeks around Easter.

Why this happens?
Before the economic crisis, car rental companies normally kept the cars for six to twelve months. They were then bought back by dealers or car manufacturers for the second-hand market. Now this is not possible, as the stocks remain high in the dealer market. Car rental companies are knocking at the banks' doors to fill the financial gap by means of loans, yet usually their request is denied. The car rental industry now has much less money with which to purchase new cars. Companies that succeeded in doing so also notice that they failed to meet the required profit numbers. Car manufacturers have greatly reduced their production; this phenomenon has already incurred the large shortage of rental cars in countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

In fact this is not new for travelers. Everybody knows that booking a flight in advance can be much cheaper than doing it last-minute and sometimes you are lucky if you manage to find a seat. Like airlines have a limited number of planes, rent a car companies have a limited numer of cars and when demand is greater than supply the prices will be adjusted accordingly.

The tournaround
So what holidaymakers can do to turnaround this situation?
Our advise again is to plan your Algarve car hire by the same time you plan your holidays in Algarve and book your flight. Make your Algarve Car Rental booking in advance. By doing so,
you avoid the risk of the enormous price hikes or getting no car at all in a worse scenario because they are all rented out.

Tourists face Algarve car rental shortage again

2010-01-19T17:43:00.006Z

Holidaymakers who were left struggling to hire a car last summer in the Algarve may well face similar difficulties this year if predictions by industry experts are correct.

Nuno Aires, the President of ERTA, the regional tourism board, told the Algarve Resident newspaper that the possibility of an Algarve car hire shortage is very real and we must consider it.

However, he said that this problem was not isolated to just the Algarve region and has been an issue for other tourist destinations during the high season.

Last summer, an investigation by the Algarve Resident newspaper found that people who had booked cars through rental agencies were being told upon arrival in the Algarve that there were no cars actually available, revealing a car rental shortage in the region.

Problems within the car hire industry have, in recent years, been compounded by the global economic situation which has seen companies unable to reinvest in fleets.

“The economic model of rent a car has changed in recent years with the resale of ex-hire cars no longer being guaranteed. Now, car hire companies are unable to renew their fleets so often and have also had to reduce the number of cars they own,” said the president of AERTA.

Another problem arrises even for the Algarve car hire companies interested in expanding their fleets for high season: With the reduction of imported cars and the increase of bank interests cars became much more expensive and so the investment in new cars suffered a dramatic cut.

People from car hire companies in Algarve are convinced that all other companies will not be increasing their fleets this summer so it is highly likely that there will be further shortages this
year.

The CEO of the car hire company delivering Portugal Cars told us: “We already took mesures to increase our fleet this year by ordering new cars. Although this represents an extra effort because of the highest car prices we need to do it to maintain the normal yearly expansion and also because of the increased demand we experienced last year due to tourists being unable to hire cars from other operators.”

Anyway, our advice is: Book your Algarve Car Hire in advance.

Last minute bookings risk higher prices or no availability, which may be worst. So, advice for
prospective tourists planning on hiring a car in the Algarve for Summer 2010 is to book early
to avoid high prices and ensure that you are able to hire a car when you arrive.

Time for Golf in Algarve

2007-10-31T15:50:00.000Z

A year round golfing paradise!

One of Europe's top golfing destinations, the Algarve has firmly established its reputation as a quality resort among all enthusiasts. The quality layout of the courses, many of them designed by the very best international architects, coupled with the sheer beauty of the surrounding landscapes, meets the demands of golfers of all levels.
Indeed, the region has become a firm favourite among golfers from all around the world.
The pleasant climate, with over three hundred days of sunshine, ensures that golf can be comfortably played all year round.
The excellence of the Algarve's courses is heightened by the variety of trees and vegetation, the greens, tees and the prevailing silence broken only by the sound of a well-struck shot. Perfect!

To better take advantage of the excellent golf offers in the Algarve it is better to hire a car so you can freely drive among the different golf courses you want to explore.
Portugal Cars offers you excellent condition to rent good cars at a dsicounted price during the high golf season in the Algarve. Portugal Cars offers 10% discount to all golf players coming to the Algarve from October to January.
10% discount! You should not miss it. Book Now!

How to find us at Faro airport

2007-05-12T11:15:00.000+01:00

The rent a cars rep's meeting point at Faro airport has changed.
Please see here the new Faro's airport collection point for the hired cars in Algarve.
Here is where your driving holidays in the Algarve start. Click to see.

Portugal, time for romance

2005-10-24T21:02:00.000+01:00

As the summer gradually draws to its end, why not come to Portugal. We invite you to enjoy a deep in the sea or an evening stroll in the most golden of sunsets. In the Algarve, all you have to do is choose the beach you prefer – a sheltered cove or a vast expanse of sand. And relax, of course. But, if it is nature that most inspires you, then you can always travel to the Azores and let yourself become immersed in its lush green environment. The islands are the perfect setting for enjoying that special moment.During your stay, make sure to savour the delights of our excellent cuisine.

September is the month when the grapes are harvested and is an ideal time for discovering all about our long traditions in winemaking. Whether you’re enjoying the comfort of the manor houses and estates of the Douro Valley, letting yourself be seduced by the charm of the Alentejo hotels or appreciating the style of the island of Madeira, toast your partner with a glass of one of our best wines as you prepare to enjoy the full flavour of our special Portuguese gastronomy.Don't waste any time.

Days of pure romance are awaiting for you in the Algarve.

FC

2005-08-26T17:30:00.000+01:00

A Warm Welcome

Dear visitor,

Complimentary to our website http://www.portugal-cars.com we decided to open this blog to keep closer to our customers and Algarve visitors interested in car hire in the Algarve.

This is something we intended to start sometime now to have a closer contact with our customers and friends, now achieved with this new internet instrument through this new Portugal-Cars blog.

We are in the car hire business in the Algarve since 1989 and we have quit a lot experience in this business since the early days of growing tourism in Algarve.

Always keeping an eye on the market evolution, and with the goal of always giving our customers a better and simply service, we opened our website in 2002 to allow our customers to make their bookings online quickly and hassle free at cheaper rates.
The accuracy of the bookings made online, opposed to the phone bookings, and the quality and attention we put in the email answers to all enquiries is largely raved by a large number of growing satisfied clients and show us we are in the good path.

The aim I always had of being more close to our customers and to have a location where we can easily transmit regular and interesting information about the car hire matters is now achieved with this blog.
I'm sure you will find here usefull information regarding your car hire in Algarve and I would like to invite you to visit this blog often as we will update it regularly and, of course, to participate with your comments and suggestions that can only be very usefull to us all.
Please fill free to grab this address: http://portugal-cars.blogsopt.com and use it as a source of information and meeting point for Algarve Car Hire matters.

My sincere thanks to our customers and vistors,

Luis Filipe
CEO - Portugal-Cars.com