Guests and overnight stays in Portugal have exceeded pre-pandemic levels, showing the first signs of full recovery within the tourist accommodation sector.
Data from Statistics Portugal (INE) has revealed that the number of guests and overnight stays in Portugal for July 2022 exceeded 2019 figures.
The INE estimates that there were 3 million guests and 8.6 million overnight stays in July, reflecting year-on-year growth of 85.4% and 90.1% respectively. When compared to 2019, this stands as a 6.3% and 4.8% increase, surpassing pre-pandemic levels with the sector’s best month to date.
The domestic market made up 2.9 million overnight stays, whilst external markets accounted for the larger portion, with a total of 5.7 million stays. Compared to 2021, this represented a respective growth rate of 9.1% and 202.5%. Furthermore, when cross-referenced with pre-pandemic figures, domestic markets grew by 15.8% whilst external markets equalled that of 2019.
This tremendous increase in tourist numbers comes only a year after the most extreme travel restrictions were lifted. And, up until 1st July, international visitors were still required to show a COVID-19 vaccination certificate, COVID-19 recovery certificate or negative COVID-19 test to enter the country.
With travel restrictions still in place until July, it comes as no surprise that the total number of overnight stays in Portugal in the first seven months of 2022 was down 4.4% when compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, July’s record-breaking figures mark the beginning of a full recovery in touristic numbers. Moreover, total stays for the year to August were also up by almost 200% on the previous year.
In related news, Portugal has recently been in the spotlight for winning over 30 of the prestigious World Travel Awards at this year’s ceremony. Notably, it landed the title of “Best Tourist Destination in Europe” for the fifth consecutive year.
Some of Portugal’s most renowned regions also won awards of their own, with the Algarve being crowned as “Europe’s Leading Beach Destination”, Porto as “Europe’s Leading City Destination” and Lisbon as “Europe’s Leading City Break Destination” alongside other titles.
Despite economic uncertainties due to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the rising cost of living around the world, Portugal has maintained its position as a leading travel hotspot. Its tourist accommodation sector is showing signs of a strong and rapid recovery, as people return to one of their most beloved European locations. With demand on the up for holiday lets and short-term rental accommodation, investors are eager to acquire properties in prime locations such as Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve.
Contact us today to discover our available properties in Portugal.
