Government Chases Fresh Tourism Markets in Latin America and Asia as Growth Cools to a 'Consolidation' Year — Turismo de Portugal Stakes Out Offices From Mexico to Australia

With growth cooling after years of records, Portugal's government is betting that the next chapter of its tourism boom will be written far from its traditional European feeder markets. Speaking at the Visit Portugal conference, Secretary of State for Tourism Pedro Machado set out a push into Latin America and Asia, framing 2026 as a year of "consolidation" in which diversification — not raw volume — becomes the priority.

The headline moves are geographic. Turismo de Portugal (the national tourism board) plans to open offices on the United States East Coast, in San Francisco, Mexico, South Korea and Australia during 2026, while the government works to secure new air links to Mexico, Argentina, Australia and parts of Asia. Latin America, and Mexico and Argentina in particular, is singled out as the prize.

The targets

• New Turismo de Portugal offices in 2026: US East Coast, San Francisco, Mexico, South Korea and Australia
• Priority new source markets: Mexico and Argentina, plus fresh long-haul air connections to Asia and Australia
• Revenue growth of up to 5.5% expected this year, with accommodation flows seen rising 2 to 2.5%
• The sector is forecast to draw around 34 million guests in 2026 as growth moderates

From volume to value

The strategy is a tacit admission that Portugal's tourism engine — long reliant on British, German, French, Spanish and American visitors — is maturing. After a slowdown already visible in 2025, ministers want higher-spending, long-haul travellers spread more evenly through the year and across the map, easing pressure on the saturated cores of Lisbon and Porto. The same logic drove the BTL Lisbon travel fair to name Évora as its 2027 guest municipality, a bet on the interior over the coast.

Capacity is the constraint. Long-haul ambitions depend on airport throughput, and Portugal's airports are already stretched — ANA's network handled more than seven million passengers in May alone. New routes to the Americas and the Pacific will test both runway capacity and the diplomatic legwork needed to land bilateral air agreements.

What This Means for Expats

• Better long-haul links: If new routes to Mexico, Argentina, Australia and Asia materialise, visiting family and friends from outside Europe — and your own travel — could get easier and cheaper.
• More year-round visitors: The drive to spread demand into shoulder seasons and the interior may ease summer crowding in Lisbon and Porto while lifting footfall in quieter regions.
• Housing pressure persists: Diversifying source markets does not shrink overall demand. Tourist-driven strain on rents and short-term lets in hotspots is unlikely to fade.
• Business openings: A pivot toward Latin American and Asian travellers rewards firms with the right languages, payment options and cultural fluency.

Portugal closed recent years near a record of roughly €30 billion in tourism revenue. Holding that line as European demand plateaus means finding new travellers in new places — a slower, harder game than the post-pandemic surge, and one whose payoff will not be clear until the first long-haul routes actually open.