According to the Association of Hotels and Touristic Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA), general data indicate an overall average occupancy rate per room of 49.5 percent in July, 40.6 percent below the value recorded in the same month of 2019.

Despite the global drop, accommodation units in the Algarve registered an increase of 40 percent in the national market, compared to July 2019, offset by a drop of 76 percent in the foreign market, according to AHETA in a statement.

In accumulated values, since the beginning of the year, occupancy per room recorded an average decrease of 68.9 percent and sales volume a 68.6 percent decrease compared to the same period of 2019.

By geographical areas, compared to July 2019, the decreases varied between minus 53.2 percent in Albufeira and minus 24.3 percent in Tavira.

AHETA makes a comparison with the same period of 2019, and not last year, as it was a period in which the sector had not yet been hit by the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.

In accumulated terms, in 2020, from January to July, the average occupancy rate dropped by 17.4 percent and sales volume dropped by 18.7 percent, he concludes.