By November 2019, 25 million visitors were recorded for the year in Portugal, 7% more than in the same period in 2018.
Tourism continues to break records in Portugal / Christoffer Engström on Unsplash
Tourism continues to break records in Portugal / Christoffer Engström on Unsplash

The tourism industry is still somewhat of a goldmine for the Portuguese economy and it shows no signs of slowing down in 2020: visitors, overnight stays and profits are all growing at a good rate. By November 2019, national accommodation in Portugal had received more than 25 million guests, 7% more than in the same period of 2018. Around 15 million are recorded as foreigners, despite the fact that the Portuguese themselves are also standing out as a major force of activity within their own country. Tourists from all over the world certainly want to find out for themselves why Portugal has been voted one of the best tourist destinations in the world.

From January to November of last year, 25.4 million guests stayed in national accommodation, totaling 66.3 million overnight stays - a year-on-year increase of nearly 4%. This growth in the tourism industry, recorded by the National Statistics Institute in Portugal (INE), is helping the national market, which in November, for example, saw 1.3 million overnight stays, representing a growth of 14.1%.

Overnight stays in foreign markets also grew 4.2% and reached 2.8 million, also in November. In the first eleven months of the year, according to the National Statistics Institute, the number of overnight stays increased by 3.9%, with "positive contributions" from both residents (+6.3%) and non-residents (+3.0%). Income, as expected, also grew, exceeding 4 billion euros, an increase of 7.2% compared to the first 11 months of 2018. Let's see if the trend continues for 2020!