According to Portugal Tourism chief João Cotrim Figueiredo, the number of Britons spending nights in hotels has risen by 7.1 percent so far this year, while the occupancy rate has also climbed by 7.7 percent. Perhaps more importantly is that the revenue generated from British tourists has increased in proportion to the number of visitors and is up almost 12 percent on last year.
Speaking at the World Travel Market in London which ended on Thursday, Figueiredo said that while Greece also recorded growth, it came at the cost of them substantially lowering prices, which Portugal managed to avoid in 2015.
Another feature of British tourism is that while popular destinations such as the Algarve and Madeira have seen numbers remain relatively unchanged, Britons are now exploring new destinations across Portugal, with substantial increases in the Alentejo, Oporto and the Azores.
The Portugal Tourism chief says this has shown a clear shift away from the traditional “sun and sea” appeal and is also resulting in a drop in package holidays, with a rising number of adventurous tourists now resorting to planning their own tailor-made itineraries.
As a result, there has also been a heightened demand for nature or sports-orientated holidays, which João Figueiredo says tourism authorities have duly noted and will adapt publicity campaigns to reflect the country’s diversity as a tourist destination.
But he warned against complacency, and called on all interested parties to continue “innovating and renovating” in order to maintain the steady growth seen in the national tourism industry in the past three years.
The release of these figures was earlier preceded by news that the number of passengers at Portuguese airports is expected to enjoy double-digit growth this year.
ANA airport president Jorge Ponce de Leão this week confessed that when a year-on-year increase of 9.5 percent in passenger numbers was reached last year, he felt it “was an unbeatable number.”
However, he has now happily changed this view and forecasts that “this year we will, with all certainty, top 10 percent at our airports as a whole.”
Once again, growth has been most evident at airports outside the traditional tourist destinations.
“While Faro is practically not expecting any growth, Madeira should record a rise of between 5.5 and 6.5 percent”, he said, adding that Lisbon is set for a rise of above ten percent while Oporto is up 16 percent and the Azores beyond 20 percent.
Meanwhile, more tourists could be expected to head down to Portugal and explore new corners of the country following news that towns and cities located along the EN2 national road, linking Chaves in northern Portugal and Faro in the south, are looking to join forces to create a new tourist route.
The road, which measures 738.5 kilometres, is the longest in the country.
However, those located along the route believe the road has additional appeal, as it is also the third longest in the world and longest in Europe, only beaten by the famous Route 66 in the United States and Rota 40 in Argentina.
The EN2 cuts through 36 municipalities, with plans here now to seek EU funding to make the route more accessible and attractive.