Portugal reported a 3.0% increase in overnight stays in tourist accommodation in the third quarter of 2024, new data from INE, the country’s statistics body, has found.
This compares to a 2.9% increase in overnight stays in the second quarter.
Stays by Portuguese residents were up 1.1% in Q3, compared to a 0.7% decline in the second quarter, while stays by non-residents rose by 3.9% (compared to a 4.3% gain in Q2).
Since the beginning of the year, overnight stays have increased by 3.9% – by 1.3% for residents and 5.0% for non-residents, INE noted.
September tourist data
In September specifically, Portugal’s tourist accommodation sector welcomed 3.3 million guests and saw 8.4 million overnight stays, reflecting increases of 2.8% and 2.4%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
This growth followed stronger increases in August, where guests and overnight stays rose by 5.9% and 3.9%. Overnight stays by domestic residents experienced a slight decline of 0.3%, totalling 2.3 million, while those by non-residents rose by 3.5% to reach 6.1 million.
International visitors
Among international markets, British tourists remained the largest segment, making up 19.8% of overnight stays, including a 0.2% increase in September.
German tourists, who accounted for 11.9% of the market, showed a 1.9% decrease. Elsewhere, the Canadian and U.S. markets reported significant growth rates, of 14.6% and 13.5%, respectively.
All regions in Portugal reported increases in overnight stays, INE noted. The Azores led with a 9.0% rise, followed by the Centro region at 6.2% and the Norte at 4.6%. Growth in Madeira and the Algarve was modest, at 0.1% and 0.9%, respectively.
Occupancy rates in tourist accommodations reached 57.5% for beds and 69.7% for rooms, with room occupancy showing a slight increase of 0.3 percentage points.
Separate data from INE, published in August, found that the number of air passengers travelling to Portugal rose by 5.2% in the first half of 2024. In addition, the movement of freight and mail by air into Portugal increased by 13.2% in the period. Read more here.
