The Port Authority of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo (APDL) reported in a statement that the 35% growth over 2016 "exceeds all expectations." The APDL had expected to end the year with 1 million passengers.

Since 2015, the year in which the management of the Douro was passed to the APDL, passenger transport in this channel has registered "an increase of 78%, or 560,999 tourists."

The port authority said it wants to continue "boosting maritime and river passenger traffic" and expects that by 2019, it will exceed the 1.3 million barrier.

According to the APDL, freight transport also registered an huge increase in 2017, with about 52,000 tons of cargo handled, which represents an increase of 66% over the previous year.

The main goods transported on the Douro Navigation Channel was granite from the commercial ports of Várzea and Sardoura, mainly for export to the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden.

Last year, 149 vessels of 61 operators travelled on the Douro, with tourists coming mainly from the United Kingdom, Germany and France, who chose to travel on small vessels, day cruises or hotel boats, and for programmes that range from one hour to one week.

The Douro Navigation Channel, which runs from Barca de Alva to Porto, opened fully in 1990.