The RTA also highlights that, in addition to the highest number of guests ever in the region, Gago Coutinho International Airport, in Faro, reached the “highest record in its history”, surpassing 9.8 million passengers in 2024.

“Algarve Tourism is once again breaking records, consolidating its position as the main tourist destination in Portugal. In 2024, the number of guests in tourist accommodation establishments reached 5.2 million, surpassing for the first time the 5.1 million mark registered in 2023”, points out the RTA, in a statement.

The record obtained in 2024 represents a “growth of 2.6%”, compared to the previous year, and “reflects the strong attractiveness of the region, driven by the increase in both resident (+1.3%) and non-resident guests (+ 3%)”, indicates the RTA.

The Algarve Tourism Region also points out that, in terms of overnight stays, the preliminary figures for national tourism activity in 2024, released today by the National Statistics Institute (INE), show “an increase of 1.9% compared to the previous year, totalling 20.7 million overnight stays”.

“Although still slightly below the pre-pandemic record of 20.9 million, the region remains the main national tourist destination, registering the highest number of overnight stays in the country”.

The evolution was also positive (up 0.5 percentage points) in the occupancy rate per room in tourist accommodation in the region, which stood at 58.6%, it indicates.

“In terms of average stay, the Algarve remained the second region with the longest stays, with 3.95 nights, behind only the Autonomous Region of Madeira”, he notes.

Faro airport

The RTA also highlights the more than 9.8 million commercial passengers that passed through Faro airport in 2024, a number that represents “the highest record in its history and a growth of 2% compared to 2023”.

The tourist markets that contributed most to the increase in passengers in Faro were the British, with 4.4 million passengers (up 0.3%), the German, with 1.13 million (up 9.7%), and the Irish, with 967,000 passengers (up 7.9%), needs.

Golf rounds

The Algarve also had a record 1.46 million rounds played on golf courses in 2024, achieving “a 5% growth” compared to the previous year, highlights the RTA, pointing to October (179,000 rounds), April (162,000) and March (153,000) as the months with the highest demand for practicing the sport in the region.

The president of Turismo do Algarve, André Gomes, quoted in the RTA statement, considers that “the Algarve is one of the most complete tourist destinations in Europe” and that the records achieved “reflect the confidence of tourists in the destination” and the “positive impact ” that the activity has on the regional and national economy.

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