Tourism: the best seven months of all time

Portugal celebrates World Tourism Day this Wednesday with historical figures for the sector. From January to July this year, the country has passed the pre-pandemic figures, with new highs in overnights and tourism revenue when compared to 2019, which had been until now the best year for tourism in the country. 

These are "the best seven months of all time in the history of tourism in Portugal", said the Secretary of State for Tourism Nuno Fazenda on the national broadcaster RTP3. Below are the latest stats from the National Statistics Office (INE), which make 2023 a record year in tourism activity: 

• Between January and July of this year, 16.8 million guests were recorded in the country

• In the same period 42.8 million overnights were recorded, a rise of around 10% on the same period in 2019

• Tourism revenue was 3.2 billion euros, a 39% increase on the same period in 2019

• In July, the average income per room was 137.9 euros, a rise of almost 10% and a new historical high that is above the figures for August 2022 (136 euros)

• Revenue from overnights by all guests in hotels and similar increased 41.8%

This is therefore the year that sets the "full recovery" for tourism after the covid-19 pandemic, a sector that proves its "excellence" and "resilience", Nuno Fazenda’s words.