Poland, with 14% growth, and the USA, with a 12.3% increase, were the fastest-growing markets in domestic tourism in July, a month in which both the number of guests and revenues returned to favourable developments, according to data released by the INE.
The tourist accommodation sector registered 3.4 million guests last month, an annual increase of 4.3%, and 9.4 million overnight stays, an increase of 3.5%. This growth surpassed that recorded in June (2.4% and 3.1%, respectively). Growth was stronger among residents (+6.7%) than in foreign markets (+2.2%).
Among the top 10 source markets, Poland experienced the highest growth, followed by the United States, which dethroned Germany as the third-largest market. The United Kingdom maintained its top spot, contributing 1.8% growth. The number of tourists from France, Brazil, and the Netherlands also declined, falling 3% in all cases.
Last month, total revenues of €891.1 million were generated, 10.6% more than in the same period last year, of which €701.6 million came from accommodations, which grew 9.2%. The average revenue per available room increased 5.1% to €101.1, and the average revenue per occupied room rose 5.6% to €151.8.
This is despite the bed occupancy rate falling 1.3 percentage points to 58.1%, and the room occupancy rate falling slightly (-0.3 points) to 66.6%.
The growth in tourism activity was nationwide, but was most robust in Alentejo (+9.8%) and the Autonomous Region of Madeira (7.2%). The smallest increases, of 1.9%, were observed in the Greater Lisbon and Algarve regions.
Between January and July, Portuguese tourism already recorded 45.6 million overnight stays (+2.7%), €3.88 billion in total revenue (+8.4%), and €2.97 billion in hotel revenue (8.3%).