Portugal drew 29.9 million foreign tourists in 2025 up 3,3% from year earlier
Portugal’s tourism sector kept growing in 2025, but more slowly, with domestic demand outpacing foreign markets and reducing reliance on international visitors.
Portugal received 29.9 million non-resident tourists in 2025, up 3.3% from a year earlier, but the pace of growth slowed sharply from 9.3% in 2024, according to tourism statistics released by the national statistics office, INE, on Thursday. The figures show a moderation in one of Portugal’s key economic sectors, even as demand became more balanced between domestic and foreign travellers.
Tourist accommodation establishments recorded 34.8 million guests and 89.7 million overnight stays in 2025, increases of 2.2% and 1.6%, respectively. Overnight stays by Portuguese residents rose 3.5% to 29.5 million, while those by foreign visitors edged up just 0.6% to 60.2 million. Foreign tourists still accounted for 67.1% of total overnight stays, although that share fell by 0.6 percentage points from 2024.
Spain remained Portugal’s largest source market for international tourists, with 23.8% of the total, despite a 0.6% decline from 2024. The UK held second place with an 11.9% share and growth of 1.9%, while France stayed third with 10.9% but fell 2.9%. INE also highlighted stronger growth from North America, up 6.9%, as well as from the “Other Europe” and “Rest of the World” groupings.
For overnight stays by foreign visitors, the UK remained the largest market with a 17.3% share, despite a 1.7% drop. Germany followed with 11.8% and growth of 1.3%, while Spain ranked third with 9.4% after a 5.1% decline. The United States increased its share to 9.1% after 5.3% growth, and Poland posted an 11.4% rise. INE said the three largest foreign source markets accounted for 38.5% of non-resident overnight stays, the lowest level since 2013, pointing to more diversified demand.
INE also said seasonality fell to 36.4%, the lowest since 2013, suggesting tourism activity was spread more evenly across the year. Separately, Portuguese residents made 26 million tourist trips in 2025, up 13.7%, but average spending per traveller fell 4.2% to €265.1 per trip.
Originally published at Eco.pt
