Portuguese authorities announced 2023 as their most successful year in tourism, boasting revenues of €25 billion.
Such a figure represents a 37 per cent increase compared to 2019, which had been the best tourism year until then.
Whereas compared to 2022, tourism in Portugal marked an 18.5 per cent increase in generated revenues.
Portugal welcomed 30 million guests in 2023, thus marking a ten per cent growth compared to 2019, the pre-pandemic year. During 2023, Portugal also recorded a total of 77 million overnight stays.
Commenting on the surge in tourism revenues, Nuno Fazenda, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Trade, and Services, referred to this as a structural change in Portugal’s tourism.
It was indeed a very positive year for the country’s tourism, and also for Portugal as a whole, a record-breaking year, the best year in the history of tourism in Portugal.
Additionally, he expressed his belief that Portugal’s tourism will experience further growth in 2024.
During 2023, Portuguese authorities have reported high numbers of tourists and arriving passengers in general.
In August 2023, Portugal welcomed 3.5 million guests, who spent 10.1 million overnight stays within that month. According to INE, the Government Office for National Statistics of Portugal, such a figure led to the highest monthly revenue ever recorded, which was €878.3 million, or 10.4 per cent more compared to August 2022.
Portugal saw an increase in passenger traffic as well. As revealed last month by INE, national airports in Portugal registered 6.4 million passengers and handled 20.4 thousand tonnes of freight and mail in October 2023.
The number of arriving passengers at Portuguese airports exceeded 100,000 during the same month, 11.6 per cent more compared to the same period in 2022.
Such an influx of visitors can also be attributed to the recognition of several Portuguese destinations as top destinations in Europe in 2023.
In October last year, Passadiços do Paiva won the title of “Europe’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction 2023” for the sixth year in a row at the World Travel Awards. This popular tourist destination within Portugal’s Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark triumphed over four other renowned destinations.
Within the same month, Madeira Islands in Portugal received the award of Europe’s Leading Destination in 2023 by the World Travel Awards. In this competition, Madeira Islands triumphed over 12 other European destinations.
