Travel in Portugal

Portugal remains a popular destination but faces challenges

Travel in Portugal flourished throughout the review period driven by the popularity of city break destinations such as Lisbon and Porto. The profile of these cities has risen thanks to the efforts of the country’s tourism board, but also due to the hosting of a series of high profile events along with receiving prestigious travel awards thanks to their strong offer.

New regulation introduced as sharing platforms blossom

Peer to peer platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO (formerly HomeAway) blossomed over the review period as travellers embraced this new model. Airbnb, for example, saw its value sales increase by more than fourfold over the review period as the number of hosts rapidly increased.

TAP Portugal leads despite strong challenge from low cost carriers

Low cost carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet have been key to the development of travel and tourism in Portugal, with record numbers passing through the country’s airports. Seeing further room for growth these airlines continue to invest in new routes with Ryanair, for example, adding 15 new routes to its schedule in 2019.

Strategic tourism investment paying dividends

The healthy environment witnessed in national tourism has been reflected by entrepreneurs and their ongoing willingness to invest in order to expand their business platforms as well as to upgrade existing business models and infrastructures. In this context, the Portugal 2020 strategic tourism investment programme that provides EU funds for the modernisation of tourism infrastructure has been of crucial importance and has been fuelling investments in categories such as lodging.

Portugal expected to remain a popular destination thanks to strong offer

Travel in Portugal should continue to see healthy growth with its profile having risen on the world stage. Its strong offer of art, culture, gastronomy, wine, beach resorts, among other features, should continue to draw visitors to the country, especially given the ongoing investment in the tourism industry.

Files are delivered directly into your account within a few minutes of purchase.