Portugal has seen 30 million tourists and 77.2 million overnight stays in 2023, exceeding the pre-pandemic levels. Tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain made the majority of overnight stays in Portugal last year. Following the surge, the country also plans to implement an EUR 2 tourist tax for visits to the Atlantic Ocean island of Madeira, aiming to increase tourism revenues.

With over 30 million tourists spending a record 77.2 million nights in 2023, Portugal has surpassed the pre-pandemic peaks of tourist arrivals, says the Portuguese National Institute of Statistics (INE) in 2023.

Calling 2023 as the most successful year in tourism so far, Portuguese authorities expect the growth to continue in 2024 and have already introduced a new policy to boost tourism revenues.

According to press reports, compared to the 2019 figures, Portugal recorded a 10.7 pc increase in number of visitors and a 10 pc rise in the nights spent in 2023.

It says that international guests made up the majority of overnight stays, reaching 53.8 million, whereas the domestic market accounted for 23.4 million nights spent. Nearly 8 million nights spent were recorded in Central Portugal, the highest figure ever recorded in this region.

The report says that the highest number of overnight stays in 2023 was attributed to guests from the United Kingdom, accounting for 18.4 pc, followed by Germany at 11.3 pc, Spain at 10.1 pc, France and North America at 8.6 pc each.

INE suggests that the highest increases were recorded by the Canadian and North American markets, with 56.9 pc and 32.9 pc respectively. Aside from the overall performance in 2023, Portuguese tourism also recorded higher figures in December.

The report says that during December 2023, 1.8 million guests spent over 4 million overnight stays in Portugal. Of those, non-residents accounted for 2.5 million nights spent, while residents contributed 1.6 million overnights. During that period, the Alentejo and Central Portugal regions experienced the highest increases, with over 19.3 pc and 17.6 pc, respectively. However, certain Portuguese regions saw a decrease.

“The Autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira were the only regions to show a decrease in the number of overnight stays in December at a decrease of 5.7 pc and 1.0 pc, respectively,” says INE.

Beyond the record numbers of guests and overnight stays, 2023 also marked a record year for Portuguese tourism in terms of income, where tourism in Portugal generated EUR 25 billion in revenues, a 37 pc increase compared to 2019.

The statement adds that from the second half of this year, Portuguese authorities plan to charge a EUR 2 tax to tourists visiting Madeira, one of Portugal’s most popular islands. This fee will be applied to both foreign and domestic visitors, and authorities anticipate it will generate a revenue of EUR 10 million.

The statement adds that hotel establishments will receive a 2.5 pc commission from this tax, while the rest amount will be transferred to the local municipal councils.