“The forecast is that we will reach the 2019 numbers again in 2023”, said Luís Araújo, the president of Turismo de Portugal, arguing that this goal “is perfectly possible”, although “obviously, very subject to the conditions of connectivity and mobility” in the near future.

For the official the signs “are very positive, in terms of vaccination, the opening of other markets and a resumption of normal activity”.

Current indicators also show an “enormous search” for the destination, highlighted the president of Turismo de Portugal.

With the plan “Reactivate Tourism. Build the Future”, forecasts are that Portuguese tourism will reach €27 billion in revenue in 2027.

Funds from the plan are in total, €6billion, €4 billion of which isadvanced by Banco Português de Fomento.

About half of the total allocation goes to supporting companies, which receive a budget of €3 billion, but building the future also takes a big amount, representing €2.5 billion.

The Secretary of State for Tourism, Rita Marques, acknowledged that “we are living in particularly challenging times”, but highlighted signs of recovery, such as the advance of the vaccination programme against Covid-19 and the fact that “more than two million Portuguese people” already have the Covid-19 digital certificate of the European Union.

“We are moving from survival mode into a living mode,” said Rita Marques.

And this recovery is made with an eye to the future: “We don’t want to go back to the reality of 2019. We want the numbers for 2019, but we want, above all, to look forward, to the future.”

“We want more sustainable tourism, more digital tourism, tourism that is better articulated with our authentic values,” concluded Rita Marques.