According to figures from the National Institute for Statistics (INE), during July foreign visitors once again helped to boost the regional tourism activity of the Algarve with 2.147 million overnight stays, up by some 0.7 percent compared to 2018. When combining the number of stays by foreign tourists with those of national tourists (856,000) the over all total came to 3.003 million overnight stays in the Algarve during July.
The figures show that the Algarve was responsible for a third of all overnight stays in Portugal over the first seven months of the year, with this then being followed by the Lisbon area where a further 25.5 percent of overnight stays were registered.
In the Algarve, tourism levels were up during the first seven months of the year by 2.7 percent with 11.6 million overnight stays between January and July 2019. The Algarve municipalities that had the highest occupancy levels for this period were found to be Albufeira, Loulé, Portimão and Tavira.
While the levels of tourism growth have slowed, the revenue from tourism has not with the monthly results for July in the Algarve showing an increase in revenue of 6.5 percent, equalling €212.4 million. According to the INE since the start of the year total revenue has increased by 7.6 percent to a total of €644.6 million.
Faro airport, the primary entry point for many foreign visitors to the Algarve, has also seen increases in passenger numbers. During July, the airport handled 1.173 million passengers, an increase of 2.2 percent compared to the previous year. The largest increases in passengers at the airport came from the UK ( up 4.1 percent) and Ireland (up 6.1 percent).
I can fully understand why the tourism and revenue figures have increased this year from my experiences of staying in Albufeira for the last 4 years for my holidays. I have been to a host of different locations over the years and I found these 4 years to be the best ever. Portugal is such a beautiful country with such, welcoming people, a fantastic history and magnificent beaches and scenery. I truly hope that future visits will not be hampered by Brexit and our countries' excellent relations continue as they have done for so many years. Obrigada Portugal.
By Jean H from UK on 21 Sep 2019, 19:28
I visit Quarteira twice a year. The last visit was in early September. I was very disappointed to see the amount of grafetti painted on the the buildings around Quarteira, Vilamoura, and Faro. Lots of buildings are destroyed and it looks ugly. Who is responsible for this and why are they not caught and punished as they will be on CCTV?
By Margaret McGovern from Other on 23 Sep 2019, 09:40