Portugal welcomed 26.5 million foreign tourists last year, a historic record that represents a jump of 19.2% compared to 2022 and 7.7% compared to 2019, the reference year before the Covid pandemic, the National Institute of Statistics announced on Monday.
With 5.7 million visitors, neighbouring Spain “remains the main source market for international tourists” with a share of 25.2%, the statistics office said in a statement. The Spanish are followed by the British and the French, with almost 3 million visitors each.
12% of GDP
Tourism accounts for around 12% of Portugal’s GDP, which is expected to see economic growth of 2.3% in 2023, one of the strongest in the European Union, driven in particular by exports.
Growth is expected to be 1.5% this year and then 1.9% next year, according to the latest forecasts published in mid-April by the moderate right-wing government. The Bank of Portugal, for its part, expects growth of 2% this year and 2.3% in 2025.
Source: BFM TV
