Between January and June, Portugal welcomed over one million North American tourists, positioning the country as the second-largest source of foreign visitors, just behind the UK. According to data from the INE, tourism in Portugal grew by 4.5% in the first half of the year, with more than one million tourists from the United States, representing a 15% increase from the same period in 2023.
The UK remains the top source of tourists in Portugal, with approximately 1.2 million British tourists visiting in the first half of the year, an increase of 6% from the previous year. This figure is 119,000 more than the number of U.S. tourists, highlighting the UK’s significant contribution to Portugal’s tourism sector. The UK accounts for 13% of foreign tourists and 18% of overnight stays, with British tourists generating 4.7 million of the 25 million overnight stays by non-residents.
The United States has been gaining prominence as a source of tourists for Portugal, surpassing countries like Spain and Germany. The number of U.S. tourists has nearly doubled in two years, from 584,700 in the first half of 2022 to 902,000 in June 2023 and over one million in the last half of the year. Nearly two-thirds of guests are foreigners, contributing significantly to the positive growth dynamics of tourist activity.
In the first half of the year, Portugal registered 14.4 million tourists, a 5.6% increase from the same period in the previous year. Of these, 8.8 million, or 62%, were foreigners. In terms of overnight stays, the U.S. is the fifth-largest market, with 2.35 million overnight stays in the first half of the year, behind the UK, Germany, Spain, and France. Foreigners account for the largest part of the nights, with 25.5 million, or 71.5%, of the total number of overnight stays generated by foreign guests.
The five main markets—UK, Germany, Spain, France, and the U.S.—generated 14.4 million overnight stays, more than half of the total number of nights by foreigners. Overall, overnight stays increased by 4.5% to 35.5 million, leading to a 12.3% increase in total revenue and a 12.1% increase in accommodation revenue, largely driven by the contribution of foreigners.