Tourist accommodation in Portugal received a total of 3.3 million guests, generating 8.5 million overnight stays in September, which corresponds to growth of 1.1% and 0.7% compared to the same period last year, according to the latest data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
For the second consecutive month, and as had already been seen in August, overnight stays by foreigners recorded a drop compared to the same period in 2024, and growth occurred on the side of residents in Portugal.
“Only residents contributed to the growth in overnight stays, with an increase of 5.6% (4.5% in August), totaling 2.5 million, while non-resident overnight stays fell 1.2% (after a 0.4% drop in August), totaling 6 million.” details the INE.
Germans were the only tourists to grow
All things considered, total revenues from hotel establishments increased by 5.6% in September to 840.1 million euros, and accommodation revenues rose by 5.8% to 659.1 million euros.
In a month still considered high season, the average rate charged in national accommodation was 143.1 euros per day, 3.9% more than in September 2024. This average includes not only classified hotels, but also local accommodation, tourist apartments, rural tourism units, hostels or even campsites.
The income that tourist establishments obtained in September for each room, whether occupied or not, was 99.2 euros, registering a year-on-year increase of 2.8% in this field.
In an analysis of the ten main markets sending tourists to the country, the statistics institute found that the Germans were the only ones to show an increase in overnight stays in September compared to the same month last year, and that this amounted to an increase of 3.1%.
Among foreign tourists, the biggest falls seen in September in national hotels came from the Irish (which fell 7.3%) and also the French (7.2%).
By region, the biggest increases in overnight stays in September were recorded in Alentejo (plus 8%) and the Setúbal Peninsula (plus 3.6%). The Centro, Algarve and Azores regions showed the biggest drops compared to the same month last year, with drops of 2.4%, 2.2% and 1.5%, respectively). But the Algarve also stood out for attracting the highest volume of overnight stays, which represented 27.9% of the country’s total, followed by Greater Lisbon, with a weight of 22.1%.
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