Travel and tourism in Portugal - statistics & facts

Mild winters, hot summer temperatures, and a diverse offering of coastal and mountain destinations have turned Portugal into an ideal holiday spot in Europe – so much so that in 2022, the country was among the best European destinations to visit by car based, among other things, on its weather, safety, affordability, and landmarks.

Portugal is surrounded to the west and the south by the Atlantic Ocean and it shares borders with Spain to the north and the east. For statistical purposes, the nation with a population of 10 million is officially divided into seven regions: five on the mainland and two insular areas (the Azores and Madeira). Lisbon, the smallest Portuguese continental region and home to the country’s homonymous capital city, was by a wide margin Portugal's most popular travel destination for international tourists in 2021. However, tourists in other Portuguese regions tend to spend more time in their destinations.

Spain: Portugal’s main tourism partner

The geographical proximity between Portugal and Spain has turned the latter country into the main source market for international tourists in Portugal, besides being the most popular outbound destination for Portuguese travelers. In 2021, Spain accounted for roughly three in ten inbound tourists in Portugal, while representing 44 percent of the trips taken by Portuguese international tourists that year.

The role of tourism in the Portuguese economy

Before COVID-19, the tourism sector represented almost one-fifth of Portugal’s economy. However, the global crisis caused the tourism contribution to GDP to drop by more than half in 2020. But despite this setback, Portugal remained among the top three most tourism-dependent countries in the European Union in 2020 and 2021. In that latter year, the Portuguese tourism payment balance, which shows the difference between the inflows and outflows from international tourism, was close to 6.4 billion euros from the nearly five billion recorded in the first year of the pandemic.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Beatriz Luz, Aug 30, 2023

Key insights

Total contribution of tourism to GDP
25.5bn USD
Number of travel and tourism companies
74k
Number of employees on travel and tourism
332k
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Total contribution of travel and tourism to the gross domestic product in Portugal from 2019 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Tourism contribution to GDP in Portugal 2019-2021

Number of international tourists arrivals and overnight stays in Portugal from 2015 to 2022 (in millions)

Accommodation

Inbound overnight tourism volume in Portugal 2015-2022

Bed occupancy rate of hotels and similar establishments in Portugal from 2012 to 2022

Accommodation

Hotel bed occupancy in Portugal 2012-2022

Related topics

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Overview

Expenditures

6

Expenditures

Inbound tourism

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Inbound tourism

Domestic and outbound tourism

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Domestic and outbound tourism

Lodging industry

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Lodging industry

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Travel and tourism in Europe
Travel and tourism in Spain
Travel and tourism in Spain
Transport industry in Portugal
Transport industry in Portugal
City tourism in Europe
City tourism in Europe
Portugal
Portugal
Portugal's Economy & Society
Portugal's Economy & Society

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