Figures published this week by the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP) as part of the AHP Tourism Monitors, highlighted the glowing results from the Azores, which it stressed “registered, for the first time, an occupation rate of 90 percent which was the highest in the country”, up 1.1 percent on results from the same month last year.
Madeira also registered a July occupation rate of 90 percent, followed by the Algarve, at 89 percent, and Lisbon on 87 percent.
The average hotel room price was €106, a rise of 11 percent on last July’s prices although destination-wise, Lisbon, the Beiras and the Algarve registered the biggest hikes in room prices, at 17 percent, 14 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
A room in the Algarve this past July would have set visitors back on average €141, a room on the Estoril coast €96, and Lisbon €93, with these being the most expensive locations in Portugal.
Tourist- generated revenue also continued to grow, with each tourist having spent around €138 while in the hotels, moreover in Madeira that amount grew to €304; tourists spent €247 in hotels in the Algarve, and in the Azores they splashed around €202.
Cristina Siza Vieira, AHP executive president, stressed that the Azores is a destination that has gradually been consolidating, and was “the big surprise” for the month of July in terms of occupation.
In a statement, she elaborated: “It should also be noted that the average price per room sold also rose significantly.
The combination of high occupation and room rates allowed the Azores to perform well in the period, exceeding all destinations, with the exception of Lisbon, Estoril and Algarve.”