Portugal registered a 2% growth in the number of overnight stays in July, according to data from the National Statistics Institute. However, this increase was not reflected in higher hotel occupancy, which instead registered lower rates compared to the same period last year.
International tourism demand showed signs of decline in July, with tourists from the United States falling 3.1% in the summer month. French tourist demand also declined, contributing to a picture of instability in tourism demand.
The Greater Lisbon region showed significant declines, with a 4.3% drop in the bed occupancy rate. This decline contrasts with the overall growth in overnight stays, suggesting that the increase in the number of tourists was not sufficient to compensate for the expansion of the hotel stock.
The phenomenon reflects unstable demand that accompanies the growth of accommodation supply in Portugal, where the increase in the number of available rooms exceeded the capacity to be filled by visitors.
