Americans Spur Record Tourist Numbers in Portugal

Portugal announced it reached a new record number of foreign tourists visiting the country in May, partially driven by an influx of travelers from the United States.

According to Reuters.com, Portugal’s National Statistics Institute (INE) found that the more than 1.8 million foreigners who stayed in the country in May were higher than the 1.6 million people recorded last year and the 1.7 million reported in the same month of 2019.

Through the first five months of 2023, the number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal topped 6.4 million, up from 5.7 million in 2019. The totals are good news for the nation’s economy, as tourism accounted for almost 15 percent of gross domestic product before the COVID-19 pandemic.

International travelers arriving from the United Kingdom represented the largest share of tourists in May, followed by U.S. citizens. The number of Americans visiting Portugal has significantly grown as a significant source of tourism for the nation.

During a recent visit to the U.S., Portugal’s Secretary of State for Tourism, Nuno Fazenda, told TravelPulse that visitor numbers to the country for 2022 reached record levels and exceeded 2019 figures.

The number of U.S. visitors to the European country increased by 27 percent in 2022, and spending by American travelers grew by 51 percent. For just January through February, the number of U.S. visitors to Portugal increased by 26 percent in 2019.