Tourist arrivals in Portugal in 2022 10% below pre-pandemic levels

In 2022, Portugal welcomed 22.3 million non-resident tourists, a significant increase compared to the previous year.

However, this number remained nearly 10% lower than the pre-pandemic levels, according to the Portuguese National Statistics Institute (INE).

The growth in non-resident tourist arrivals was reported at 131.4% compared to 2021, but it fell short by 9.6% when compared to 2019.

Spaniards constituted the largest market with 5.7 million visitors, accounting for 25.8% of the total, but this figure represented an 8.5% decrease from pre-pandemic levels.

France, the United Kingdom, and Germany were the other significant markets, comprising 13.3%, 13.2%, and 8.1% of the total non-resident visitors, respectively.

Regarding residents’ tourist movements, the number reached 22.6 million, reflecting a 29.2% increase from 2021 but a 7.5% decline from 2019.

Accommodation data were relatively close to 2019 levels but still slightly below.

The total number of guests was 28.9 million, and overnight stays amounted to 77.2 million in 2022, which represented decreases of 2.2% and 0.8%, respectively, compared to pre-pandemic figures.

In terms of economic impact, tourist accommodation establishments exceeded pre-pandemic numbers, generating profits of 5 billion euros (US$5.5 billion), a 16.7% increase from 2019.

The average yield per available room rose to €74 in 2022, marking a 49.8% increase from pre-pandemic levels, while the average yield per occupied room reached €103.6, a 16.1% increase.

While tourist arrivals in Portugal showed positive growth in 2022, they still fell short of reaching pre-pandemic levels.

However, the economic performance of tourist accommodation establishments exceeded the pre-pandemic figures, indicating signs of recovery in the sector.