Portuguese authorities announced that 2023 was their most successful year in terms of tourism, as they were able to generate revenues of about €25 billion.
Previously, the best tourism year for Portugal had been 2019, but this new figure shows a 37% increase in revenue since then.
The increase
As compared to 2022, there was an 18.5% increase in the revenues generated via tourism in Portugal. In 2023, a total of 30 million guests visited Portugal, which is a 10% rise as compared to 2019.
This was before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In 2023, the total number of overnight stays that were recorded in Portugal stood at 77 million.
The Secretary of State for Tourism, Trade and Services, Nuno Fazenda, commented on the increase in tourism revenues.
He said that this increase marked a structural change in tourism in Portugal. He added that the year had been very positive for tourism in the country.
In fact, he said that the year had actually been a record-breaking one for Portugal because it proved to be the best one in the history of the country.
Moreover, he also went on to say that tourism in the country would continue to record further growth in 2024.
The numbers
According to Portuguese authorities, there was a high number of general passengers as well as tourists arriving in Portugal in 2023.
Data showed that 3.5 million guests arrived in Portugal in August 2023 and they spent a total of 10.1 million overnight stays in that month.
The Government Office for National Statistics of Portugal, INE, said that this number let to the highest monthly revenue.
The total tourism revenue recorded in the month of August stood at €878.3 million, which was a 10.4% increase as compared to the same month in 2022.
There was also an increase in passenger traffic in Portugal. The INE revealed that 6.4 million passengers were registered in national airports in Portugal in October 2023.
In the same month, the total tonnes of freight and mail that were handled stood at 20.4 thousand. During the same month, the number of passengers arriving at airports in Portugal exceeded 100,000.
This was an increase of 11.6% as compared to the month of October 2022.
The reason
This influx of visitors in Portugal could also be due to the fact that a number of Portuguese destinations were recognized as top destinations in Europe last year.
Last year in October, the title of ‘Europe’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction 2023’ was given to Passadicos do Paiva at the World Travel Awards for the sixth year in a row.
The popular tourist destination is located within Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark in Portugal and won the award over four other renowned destinations.
In the same month, the World Travel Awards also granted the award of Europe’s Leading Destination in 2023 to the Madeira Islands in Portugal.
In this particular category, Madeira Islands were able to win this award over 12 other destinations in Europe.
