With the UK scrapping all remaining travel restrictions last week, and many European countries following suit, British travellers are once again preparing for a summer abroad. Analysing millions of data points each month, Vacaay's technology has identified Portugal as the UK's third most sought-after holiday destination behind Greece and France, providing a welcome boost to the struggling tourism industry.
The stunning beaches, azure waters and limestone cliffs of the Algarve were among the most popular Portuguese attractions, with many Brits planning stays at the regions golf resorts and luxury villas.
Vacaay's UK & Europe Regional Director, James Air, said it was great to see Portugal so high up the list given that the country is often overshadowed by its larger neighbours.
"Portugal is one of Europe's most beautiful destinations, and whilst British tourists have long been acquainted with this Iberian gem, it's really positive to see the country is now gaining market share from some of the region’s most popular tourist hotspots" he said.
Rounding out the top five most popular destinations were Italy and Spain respectively.
Portugal might receive a large number of British visitors this year but unless the airport situation is rectified they will not be returning in a hurry for future visits. It took nearly 3 hours to get through passport control in early March. Only 5 of 16 desks were open and the processing of the hundreds of people in ‘All Other Passports’ was tediously slow while the e-gates were empty the majority of the time. Why aren’t British travellers permitted to use the e-gates? Travellers from the EU are able to use the e-gates when entering/leaving the UK without the need for stamping passports.
By Lesley Turner from UK on 28 Mar 2022, 10:39