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The North American market is booming in Portugal in the tourism sector. Among the total of 1.8 million foreign guests who in July sought Portugal for tourism, the United States (USA) already occupies the third position of the table, surpassing relevant markets such as France or Brazil.

Data released Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics reveal that last month there were 183 thousand American guests in Portugal, with a steady growth trend since the beginning of the year. In April, for example, there were 70 thousand less Americans seeking Lusitanian lands for tourism.

The rise in these guests is reflected in the significant increase in the number of overnight stays. According to INE, the North American market, which already has a 7.6% share, “continued to stand out, with a growth of 35.9% in July, when compared to the same month of 2019.”

The increase in demand from Americans for Portugal has been going on since last year. In 2021, there were a total of 294.6 thousand Americans making tourism in the country, with the number translating an increase of 122.2% compared to 2020 levels, when there were 132.6 thousand, INE data reveals.

Among the foreign tourists who sought Lusitanian lands in 2021, it was precisely the Americans who had the largest increase compared to 2020.

In July this year, among the 17 countries that send tourists, the Spaniards are still the ones who most seek Portugal, with more than 285 thousand guests, followed by the British with more than 246 thousand tourists.

The Germans were the only ones to register a drop in July, with 141 thousand tourists. Less about 17 thousand guests compared to June.

Number of guests surpasses 2019 levels

In total, last month, between Portuguese and foreign tourists, tourist accommodation recorded three million guests and 8.6 million overnight stays. The numbers translate increases of 6.3% and 4.8%, respectively, compared to July 2019, INE data also reveals.

Among overnight stays, the biggest increase was recorded among foreign tourists with a total of 5.7 million, reaching “the same level as in 2019.” The stays of the Portuguese, meanwhile, in July were 2.9 million, staying 15.8% above the 2019 figures.

In the various types of accommodation, hotels recorded 4.9 million overnight stays, staying 4.6% above July 2019, INE points out. Local accommodation with just over 1.2 million overnight stays fell 0.8% when compared to July 2019, rural and residential space was up 35.7% in stays compared to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic.

Compared to July 2019, stays by Spaniards were up 2.3% while overnight stays by German guests were down 4.7%.

Also noteworthy are the increases recorded by the Czech markets 63%, Romanian with more 30.7% and the Danish rising 18.7%.

The biggest drops were seen in the Brazilian markets with minus 26.2% and the Swedish with minus 9.5%, compared to July 2019, according to INE figures.

Stays in the Algarve below 2019

In July, there were increases in stays in all regions of the country compared to 2019, with the exception of the Algarve with minus 4.5%.

According to INE figures, in July, the Algarve concentrated 33.1% of overnight stays, followed by the Lisbon region (22.7%), the North (15.6%), Madeira (10.5%) and the Center (10%).

Compared to July 2019, “the most expressive increases occurred in Madeira (+21%), North (+14.9%) and Center (+10.6%),” says INE.

The data also reveal that in July, the average stay in tourist accommodation establishments to 2.85 nights, a rise of 2.5%, on the heels of foreign tourists, with an average of 3.15 nights, up 0.2%. The average stay of the Portuguese was 2.40 nights, down 6.6%, while the average stay of non-residents (3.15 nights) increased 0.2%.

Madeira and Algarve were the regions where average stays reached the highest values: 4,92 and 4,28 nights, respectively.

Source: Jornal de negócios

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