The performance of Algarve tourism was better in the first quarter of 2013 than in the same period of 2012 in practically all indicators, revealed the Regional Tourism Authority of the Algarve (ERTA), in the «Algarve Conjuntura Turística» bulletin. Of the indicators, a natural highlight was income, which increased by 8 percent.
«The Algarve was, after Madeira, the region that most increased its income in value, obtaining a total of 54,85 million euros, which represents approximately 20% of the country's total income», according to ERTA .
This better performance was «fundamentally motivated by the demand of foreign tourists», with the movement of passengers at the Airport of Faro increasing 1,4 percent.
According to Turismo do Algarve, the fact that Easter was in March contributed to these values. The exception to the trend of improving performance in year-on-year terms was seen in Golf, which registered fewer rounds in the first three months of this year than in the first quarter of 2012.
In hotel units, there was a "general increase of 7,4 percent" in the number of guests, greatly pushed by the foreign contingent, which increased by 14,5 percent compared to 2012. The Portuguese, on the other hand, did not come in such a large number as last year, with a decrease of 6,5 percent. Overnight stays rose in line with the number of guests, which increased by 7,3 percent in the first quarter of 2013.
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