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tourism

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

The colourful yellow and red towers of the Pena Palace rising above wooded hills in Sintra, Portugal, under a pale sky

Sintra Bars Tour Coaches From Its Historic Centre and Sets Aside Ride-Hail Bays as It Locks In Anti-Congestion Rules

Sintra is moving to make its spring traffic experiment permanent, keeping large tour coaches out of the historic village and creating dedicated bays for ride-hailing cars. Operators have already gone to court, but the town is betting a UNESCO landscape cannot be a postcard and a car park at once.

The Portugal Brief 07 Jul 2026

A classic red Lisbon tram parked at Praca do Comercio at dusk, with yellow buildings and tram tracks curving away in the background

Portuguese Tourist Lodgings Booked a Record May as Revenue Reached €755 Million

Tourist accommodation took in a record €755.7 million in May, up 5.8%, as INE data show 3.3 million guests and 8 million nights. Portuguese travellers led with a 7.6% rise; the Alentejo and North grew fastest while the UK market slipped.

The Portugal Brief 05 Jul 2026

Terracotta rooftops of Lisbon's Alfama district at golden hour with the Sao Vicente de Fora monastery on the skyline

Domestic Travellers Power Portugal to 3.3 Million Hotel Guests in May as the British Market Cools

Portugal hosted 3.3 million guests in May (+3.9%) and eight million overnight stays, INE data show, with accommodation revenue up 5.8% to €755.7 million. The twist: resident travellers (+7.6%) drove the growth while the UK, still the top foreign market, slipped 1.1%.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

A bronze statue of a blindfolded Lady Justice holding balanced scales against a plain grey background

Prosecutors Seek to Convict Cruise Magnate Mário Ferreira Over a €1 Million Tax-Fraud Scheme Routed Through Malta

In closing arguments in Porto, the Public Prosecution Service asked the court to convict businessman Mário Ferreira of qualified tax fraud over the 2015 sale of the ship Atlântida through a 'hollow' Malta company, alleging a €3.7 million undeclared gain and roughly €1 million in evaded tax.

The Portugal Brief 02 Jul 2026

Austrian Airlines Connects Vienna to Ponta Delgada, Giving the Azores a Fourth Lufthansa-Group Link

Austrian Airlines Connects Vienna to Ponta Delgada, Giving the Azores a Fourth Lufthansa-Group Link

Austrian Airlines launched a weekly Vienna–Ponta Delgada flight on 30 June, running Tuesdays until 8 September. It becomes the Lufthansa Group's fourth carrier at Sao Miguel, in a record Azores summer with 16 airlines and direct links to 12 countries.

The Portugal Brief 01 Jul 2026

Almada Opens Its Archaeological Digs to the Public in July, With Free Sessions at the Castle and the Old Town

Almada Opens Its Archaeological Digs to the Public in July, With Free Sessions at the Castle and the Old Town

Almada's City Council is opening three archaeological excavations in the historic core to the public through July, with free guided sessions at Rua Rodrigues Freitas on 24 July and the Castelo de Almada on 25 July. The dig runs 6-31 July under the Almada Velha heritage project.

The Portugal Brief 30 Jun 2026

Record Tourism Masks a Deepening Squeeze on Portugal's Restaurants and Hotels

Record Tourism Masks a Deepening Squeeze on Portugal's Restaurants and Hotels

Portugal keeps breaking tourism records, but the businesses that feed and house visitors are heading into the summer under visible strain — a disconnect that the sector's main trade body is increasingly anxious to highlight. The AHRESP (Association...

The Portugal Brief 25 Jun 2026

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