The number of foreign travelers visiting Portugal surpassed 1,8 million in May, with visitors from the United States becoming the second-largest group, according to data released on Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
Measuring only foreigners overnight in Portuguese hotels, the number exceeded by a wide margin the 1,6 million reported in the same month of 2018, which was a record year for tourism before the COVID-19 pandemic crippled international travel in 2020.
In the first five months of 2023, the number of foreign visitors to Portugal exceeded 6,4 million, up from 5,7 million during the same period in 2019.
Prior to the pandemic, almost 15% of Portugal’s gross domestic product was attributable to tourism, a key economic driver.
In May, the largest proportion of arrivals came from the United Kingdom, closely followed by the United States, which has become a major source of tourism for Portugal.France.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/foreign-tourism-portugal-sets-new-record-may-helped-by-us-visitors-2023-06-30/
