According to INE, last March, the tourist accommodation sector registered 2.3 million guests and 5.7 million overnight stays, corresponding to a growth of 12.2% in guests (+7.1% in February) and 12.8% in overnight stays (+6.4% in the previous month). In the period under analysis, overnight stays from residents grew 10.3%, corresponding to 1.6 million, while those from non-residents rose 13.8%, totaling 4.1 million.

UK main visitors

Among foreigners who visited the country during the month of March, INE indicates that the UK was the main source market in March, having registered a growth of 9.3%, followed by Germany, which grew 12.1%, and Spain, which recorded the highest growth among the main markets in the month analyzed, with an increase of +47.5%. In the group of 10 main issuing markets, which represented 75.6% of total non-resident overnight stays in March, the Irish, Canadian, and North American countries also stood out for the most significant growth, +30.7%, +27.5 %, and +23.9%, respectively, compared to the same month of the previous year.

As regards the regions, all registered an increase in overnight stays, with greater expression in the West and Tagus Valley (+29.4%), Center (+23.1%), and Alentejo (+21.0%). The most modest increases took place in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (+4.1%) and Greater Lisbon (+8.9%). Residents' overnight stays increased in all regions, with the exception of the Madeira Region (-12.9%) and Greater Lisbon (-2.4%).

Occupancy in tourist accommodation establishments increased in March, to 42.2% and 51.7%, in net bed occupancy and room occupancy rates, respectively.