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

A yellow Lisbon tram climbing a steep narrow street toward the Tagus river

Pickpocket Thefts in Lisbon Rose Nearly 10% in the First Half, Concentrated Around Belém and São Jorge Castle

Reported pickpocketing in Lisbon rose almost 10% in the first half of 2026, with 1,770 cases — about ten a day — logged by the PSP. Belém and the streets around São Jorge Castle are the hotspots, even as arrests for the crime fell nearly 21%.

The Portugal Brief 15 Jul 2026

View over the terracotta rooftops of Lisbon's Alfama towards the white curved Lisbon Cruise Terminal on the Tagus riverfront, with a ship on the water

The Port of Lisbon Logged Its Busiest-Ever June for Cruises, With 81,735 Passengers Up 53% on 2025

The Port of Lisbon handled a record 81,735 cruise passengers in June, up 53% on June 2025 and above the previous 2024 high, across 37 ship calls — its busiest June ever — as high-spending turnaround traffic led the first half's steadier 5% growth.

The Portugal Brief 13 Jul 2026

A cobbled Campo Maior street roofed over with a dense canopy of white, red and orange handmade paper flowers strung between the houses, with hanging lanterns

After Eleven Years, Campo Maior Readies Millions of Handmade Paper Flowers to Drape Its Streets for August's UNESCO-Listed People's Festival

For the first time since 2015, the Alentejo town of Campo Maior stages its UNESCO-listed Festas do Povo from 8 to 16 August, with thousands of residents making paper flowers to blanket up to 100 streets in a festival held only when the townspeople decide.

The Portugal Brief 12 Jul 2026

Silves Brings Back Its Award-Winning Cork Museum, Shut Since 2009

Silves Brings Back Its Award-Winning Cork Museum, Shut Since 2009

One of the Algarve's most celebrated cultural landmarks has come back to life. On Saturday, the Museu da Cortiça (Cork Museum) in Silves — the medieval former capital of the Algarve, set on the banks of the Rio Arade (Arade River) — reopened its...

The Portugal Brief 12 Jul 2026

A lush green forested hillside of the Mata Nacional do Bucaco in central Portugal, with a Portuguese flag in the foreground

The Buçaco Forest Earns Certification as the Iberian Peninsula's First Therapeutic Forest, to Be Formalised on 17 July

The Mata Nacional do Buçaco is being certified as the first 'therapeutic forest' on the Iberian Peninsula, formalised on 17 July. Built on the Japanese idea of 'forest bathing', it turns one of Europe's finest planted woods — 105 hectares, some 250 species, a Napoleonic battlefield and a palace hote

The Portugal Brief 10 Jul 2026

The cliff-backed cove of Praia da Marinha on Portugal's Algarve coast, golden limestone stacks and sunbathers on the sand beside turquoise Atlantic water

Portuguese Guests Outpaced Foreign Visitors in May as Tourism Growth Eased to 2.8%

Portugal logged 3.3 million guests and 8.0 million overnight stays in May, both May records, INE data show. But growth eased to 2.8%, and resident stays rose 7.6% against just 1.1% for foreign visitors — Portuguese travellers are now driving the sector.

The Portugal Brief 09 Jul 2026

Porto City Hall (Câmara Municipal do Porto), a grand early-20th-century building with a clock tower, seen across the Avenida dos Aliados

Portuguese Municipalities' Surplus Swells 84% on Property-Transfer and Tourist Taxes, as Council Debt Edges Up Again

Portugal's municipalities ran a combined surplus of about €492 million in 2025, up 84%, on the back of a 24% jump in property-transfer tax and a near-doubling of tourist-tax revenue. But council debt rose for a second straight year, and seven town halls breached their legal limit.

The Portugal Brief 08 Jul 2026

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