The Association of Hotel Managers of Portugal (ADHP) said that the tourist tax on overnight stays in Evora had no advantages.

ADHP regional delegate for Alentejo and hotel manager, Miguel Breyner, was speaking to Lusa following a first meeting to hear from the business community and associations about possibly creating a tourist tax for the county.

Miguel Breyner warned that introducing a tourist tax at this time could be the wrong decision and negatively impact on demand, particularly as there were already signs of a slowdown in tourist demand.

Evora "is not yet a consolidated tourist destination like Lisbon or Porto", it is still “at the development stage”, he said.

The ADHP representative added that the occupancy rate in Evora is around 53% and the average room prices (RevPar) "are much lower than in other destinations", with the city being "far from the so-called tourist pressure".

Tourists to Evora are also different as the city receives countless day-trippers who do not stay overnight but who do cause some pressure", he said.