“We are sure that if there was snow there would be more demand, but the weekends have been good,” according to Carlos Santos, general director of the Hotel Luna in Serra da Estrela.

Usually in February there is snow in Serra da Estrela but this year visitors instead are coming to enjoy nature, heritage, villages, gastronomy and the attractions of the hotels themselves.

“In our case, the heated pool has worked very well and helped to captivate customers”, explained Carlos Santos.

The lack of snow has impacted weekday visitors instead.

“Throughout the week we have an average occupancy of around 30%. If there was snow, we would probably get to 50-60%,” he said.

At the LAM Hotel Serra da Estrela, demand on weekdays is also lower than expected and the stays have been for a shorter period of time, the unit's director, José Belchior, told Lusa.

“The lack of snow always interferes with the occupation of hotels in this region. People come, but they only stay a night or two. If we had snow, certainly they would stay longer,” he said.

In Covilhã, a city that is one of the main gateways to Serra da Estrela, the Hotel D. Maria has experienced a similar reality.