Tourist numbers rose 48% in 2021 YoY, 61% below 2019 figures
INE reported on Thursday that Portugal received 9.6 million non-resident tourists in 2021, a growth of 48.4% compared to 2020.
Portugal received 9.6 million non-resident tourists in 2021, a growth of 48.4% compared to 2020, but still 61% below the 24.6 million tourists welcomed in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, INE reported on Thursday.
“The year 2021 was still marked by the effects of the constraints arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, especially the lockdown measures in the first half and at the end of the year, with negative effects on the tourism sector which, despite having grown compared to 2020, a year of unprecedented contraction in tourism activity, was still below 2019 levels,” reads the ‘Tourism Statistics 2021’ of the National Statistics Institute (INE).
According to the statistical institute, “Spain remained the main issuing market for international tourists (share of 30.2%), having registered a growth of 57.3%”.
The French market (16.1% of the total) continued in second place, increasing 46.2%, and the number of tourists from the United Kingdom (10.6%) also showed a positive variation of 24.0% in 2021, while the German market (8.0%) grew 39.1%.
Considering all means of tourist accommodation (hotels, rural tourism/housing, local tourist accommodation, camping and holiday camps and youth hostels), in 2021 there were 16.0 million guests and 42.6 million overnight stays, translating into increases of 36.9% and 40.7%, respectively (-60.4% and -61.1%, in the same order, in 2020).
Compared to 2019, there were decreases of 45.8% in the number of guests and 45.2% in the number of overnight stays.
