Q2 tourist overnight stays in north region 7.9% higher than Q2 2019

  • Lusa
  • 29 September 2022

"The overnight stays in tourist establishments in the North were 3,194,089 in the second quarter of 2022, 7.9% more than in the second quarter of 2019," reads the INE bulletin.

In the second quarter of this year there were 3.2 million tourism overnight stays in the North, a figure that surpassed, “for the first time”, the pre-pandemic indicators, indicates the bulletin released on Thursday by the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of the North (CCDR-N).

“The overnight stays in tourist establishments in the North were 3,194,089 in the second quarter of 2022, 7.9% more than in the second quarter of 2019,” reads the bulletin.

According to the document, this was the “first time” that tourism activity indicators in the region exceeded those observed before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The overnight stays of residents had a “significant growth” of 14.8% compared to the second quarter of 2019, standing at 1.2 million in the period under review. Non-resident overnight stays stood at 1.9 million, also surpassing the pre-pandemic figure by 3.8%.

Similar to overnight stays, the number of guests in tourist establishments in the North also increased by 4.5% compared to the 2nd quarter of 2019, with 1,685,605 guests recorded.

“Given the full recovery, the negative effects of the pandemic crisis on internal and external demand directed towards tourism in the North have dissipated,” the document highlights, noting that the recovery was due to the “sharp growth of the last year”, with the number of guests increasing 157.2% compared to the same period of 2021.

The “full recovery of tourism activity to higher than pre-pandemic levels” was also felt in the turnover indicators of tourist accommodation establishments, with total income reaching €217 million, “up 19.5% compared to the figure for the 2nd quarter of 2019”.

The average income per room also recorded a recovery over 2019, reaching €51.2 in Q2 2022.

The net occupancy rate per bed, meanwhile, was the only indicator in which tourism in the North did not exceed the pre-pandemic period, recording 45.2% in contrast to the 46.5% achieved in the second quarter of 2019.

“In Portugal, some indicators of tourism activity are still at a slightly lower level than in the pre-pandemic period,” recalls the Norte Conjuntura bulletin, giving as an example the fact that, in the period under review, the number of guests and overnight stays were lower by 1.7% and 0.2%, respectively, compared to the second quarter of 2019.