More guests, more nights and more benefits. Tourism in the Algarve grew in the first half of 2019, thanks largely to a significant increase in the national market, but also in tourists from other countries, namely the United Kingdom.
Data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), disclosed by the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), point to a sharp growth in the number of guests, of 9,3%, in the first six months of the year. Also on the rise were total income, which grew 7,9% to a total of 431,3 million euros. Overnight stays increased by 3,3% compared to the same period in 2018.
«The positive performance of the internal market with 12,8% more guests (total of 592 thousand) and 11,3% more overnight stays (total of 1,70 million overnight stays from Portuguese) and the growth in foreign tourists with 8% more guests (total of 1,58 million) and 1,5% more in overnight stays (6,91 million overnight stays from non residents)», according to the RTA.
And there was even a growth in the British market, "contrary to the results of the last two years". In this case, the increase was 6,8%, in terms of the number of guests, and 1,9%, in terms of overnight stays.
«When analyzing the overnight stays, this was in fact the main external market for the tourist performance of the region, followed by Germany (with 833,7 thousand overnight stays) and the Netherlands (with 603,3 thousand overnight stays)», framed the RTA.
In percentage terms, the most significant increase was that of the Italian market, which grew 61,5% in the number of guests and 62% in overnight stays.
For João Fernandes, president of RTA, «the tourist results of this first semester are positive, mainly because they reflect a growth of income superior to the demand, as well as the commitment of public and private operators in strengthening the Algarve as a tourist destination».
“Thanks to the joint work, we managed to maintain a good performance in the British market, despite the uncertainty generated by Brexit. But we were also able to achieve growth in important outbound markets such as Brazil and the USA, reflecting the effectiveness of the market diversification plans that are underway», added the president of RTA.
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