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Tourism

Tourism industry, travel trends, and visitor statistics for Portugal.

A visitor sitting on the steps of the Cais das Colunas in Lisbon looking out at the Tagus, with a cruise ship on the water and the far bank at Almada behind

Brazilian Visitors Left a Record 657 Million Euros in Portugal in the First Half, and the Traffic Runs Both Ways

Guest numbers rose 5.2 percent and nights 7 percent, but receipts climbed 18.4 percent. Meanwhile the Portuguese have overtaken the French again as the largest European tourist group in Brazil.

The Portugal Brief 16 Sep 2026

The decayed stone facade and ironwork balconies of the abandoned Caldas de Moledo hotel in the Douro valley, with plants growing from the balcony ledges.

An Abandoned Thermal Spa Above the Douro Reopens This Year on Four Million Euros, and One of Its Two Bath Houses Will Stay in Public Use

The Termas das Caldas de Moledo, between Peso da Régua and Mesão Frio inside the Alto Douro Vinhateiro world heritage landscape, become the seventeenth thermal facility in the Porto and North region. The rest of the complex goes to a REVIVE concession.

The Portugal Brief 15 Sep 2026

The river Douro at Peso da Regua under a clear sky, with terraced vineyards on the far bank and a concrete quay running out into the water

Locks and Quays Are the Ceiling on Portugal's Water Tourism, After 1.39 Million Passengers on the Douro Last Year

Eight consecutive years of growth on the navigable Douro, 113 operators and nearly 17,000 lock passages. The operators say the infrastructure, not the demand, is what limits the next stretch.

The Portugal Brief 13 Sep 2026

The Castelo de Leiria on its wooded hill above the town, with the arched loggia of the royal palace and the crenellated curtain wall clearly visible

Leiria's Castle and Lisbon's Cathedral Head the New Seven Wonders of Portugal, Picked From 147 Candidates

A Roman villa in the Alentejo, an aqueduct at Obidos, the market halls of Olhao, a working winery in Estremoz and a baroque garden in Castelo Branco complete the list voted on Saturday night.

The Portugal Brief 13 Sep 2026

A narrow cobbled street in Alfama, Lisbon, with tram rails curving between pastel and yellow residential facades, wrought-iron balconies and a hanging street lamp

Brussels Wants a Single European Test for When a City May Curb Short-Term Lets, and It Carves Your Own Home Out of It

The Affordable Housing Act, presented Wednesday, sets common criteria for housing-pressure zones and requires authorities to show short-term letting worsens supply or prices. A main residence is explicitly excluded.

The Portugal Brief 08 Sep 2026

A brightly painted arte xavega fishing boat punching bow-first through breaking surf at Costa da Caparica, three crew aboard in oilskins and spray flying over the stern.

A British Food Creator Is Grilling Caparica's Catch on the Sand to Push Portugal's Beach-Seine Fishery Toward UNESCO

Jamie Kristian is staging a grilled-fish dinner on the sand at Costa da Caparica on Thursday to put a foreign audience in front of arte xavega. The Espinho practice went onto Portugal's national heritage inventory under urgent safeguarding in April 2025, and a joint UNESCO bid is the goal.

The Portugal Brief 06 Sep 2026

The carved white limestone dome and spires of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Lisbon rising above trees against a pale sky.

Portugal Puts a Price on Opening Its Museums on a Public Holiday: 60 Euros a Day, Backdated to April

A two-page decree adds one article to the law that created Museus e Monumentos de Portugal. Front-of-house staff who work a feriado now get a fixed 60 euros on top of the pay they were already owed, indexed annually, with effect from 1 April 2026.

The Portugal Brief 06 Sep 2026

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