Portugal rounds off 2024 with 30 million tourists

By  Posted 30 Dezembro, 2024 In HotelNewsTourismTravel

Twenty twenty-four was as bumper year for Portugal’s tourism industry with a record 30 million tourists.

According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), Portugal registered 2,981.2 thousand guests and 7,569.42 thousand overnight stays to October in total tourist accommodation in 2024, generating €27Bn in revenue.

The share of overnight stays from non-residents represented a total of 75.1% in September 2023, rising to 75.4% in October 2024.

In October all regions enjoyed an increase, except the Alentejo with 4.4%, posted growth in overnight stays, with the largest increases being seen in the Autonomous Region of the Azores (10.8%) and in Central Portugal (7.0%).

Overnight stays by residents recorded the largest increases in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (10.7%) and in the Center (8.6%), while the largest decreases occurred in Alentejo (5.3%), West and Tagus Valley (4.8%) and Algarve (3.9%).

Overnight stays from non-residents increased in all regions, with the exception of Alentejo (3.1%). The most significant increases were observed in the Azores Autonomous Region (19.3%) and the Setúbal Peninsula (8.9%).

Regarding tourists holidaying in Portugal, the British market remains the most important with 19.9% of the total overnight stays of non-residents in October.

Overnight stays from the German market, the 2nd main source market in October (12.6% of the total), increased by 3.7%, followed by the US market in 3rd position with a growth of 7.3%.

In the group of the top 10 source markets in October, the Polish market recorded the highest growth (21.8%), followed by the Canadian market (15.0%). On the other hand, the Spanish market stood out with the largest decrease (12.4%), followed by the French (3.9%) and Brazilian (3.4%) markets.

Before the final numbers are released, estimates suggest that 2024 was a historic year in the tourism sector for Portugal. Projected growth places tourism as responsible for up to 20% of the national economy.

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