Portugal’s tourism economy is enjoying a strong rebound with the lifting of international travel restrictions. Visitor numbers for February were up by more than 500 percent year on year.
Data published by the Portuguese Statistics Institute (INE) shows that accommodation facilities received 1.2 million guests in February, representing an increase of 507 percent.
Visitors spent 2.9 million overnight stays, a 527.1 percent rise.
The increasing tourism rates of February of 2022 exceeded those of January when hikes of 182.3 percent in guests and 185 percent in overnight stays were recorded.
But tourism levels in Portugal still lag behind those of pre-pandemic levels, specifically in February 2020, when no COVID-19-related restrictions had yet to be imposed.
The industry’s total revenue was €106.4 million in January, with 71.4 percent or €76 million coming from accommodation alone. However, when compared with January 2020, total revenue dropped by 39.1 percent, and revenue from accommodation decreased by 38.8 percent.