Felicity Long
Portugal has been on everyone's hot list in the past few years, particularly Lisbon and the Douro Valley. To find out what's going on in the rest of the country, I asked Luis Araujo, president of Visit Portugal, about what other up-and-coming destinations are seeing noticeable increases in visitors. I was also curious about whether the makeup of these visitors has changed and whether the dreaded specter of overtourism has become an issue.
"While some of our cities and regions have become Insta-famous, the evolution of tourism in Portugal has been benefiting the whole country," he said. "For example, in 2018, the fastest-growing regions were Alentejo, the Azores and the North."
Araujo said each of these regions has seen tourism growth throughout the year, noting: "We believe Portugal is currently the Mediterranean country with the lowest seasonality," thanks to the mild climate.
When pressed for his own favorite part of Portugal -- and one visitors should have on their radar -- Araujo cited "the National 2," which he described as an experience, rather than a region.
"[The National 2] is the Portuguese version of Route 66. It crosses Portugal from north to south [crossing] 11 districts, eight provinces, four mountains, 11 rivers and 32 municipalities. This road is the length and breadth of our country but also our culture."
As to who's coming to Portugal, "The U.S. market has huge growth potential for Portugal, and we've been seeing that growth materializing over the last three years. In 2018, the U.S. accounted for 962,000 guests, 2.2 million overnight stays and more than $1 billion of tourist revenues ... increases of 21.9%, 21.8% and 19.1% annual growth, respectively."
In terms of overnight stays, Lisbon tops the list, snagging 54% of American tourists, followed by the North at 15% and the Algarve at 11%.
Most of these tourists come from New York, Newark, Boston and Miami, which makes sense, given that these are traditionally the main U.S./Portugal air gateways.
One of the reasons the destination casts a wide net is the variety of tourist experiences available throughout the country, Araujo said, citing wine tourism in the North, center and the Alentejo, the beaches of the Algarve and Madeira, the historical and cultural heritage of Lisbon and Porto and nature tourism in the Azores.
With regard to overtourism, Araujo acknowledged that managing the influx of visitors successfully has been the result of a carefully thought-out strategy.
"In Portugal, we are still a long way from being affected by overtourism," he said. "Our focus will always be on attracting new audiences, and our goals combine economic growth with a fundamental balance between tourists and residents -- along with the crucial and ever-present concern for the country's environmental and social sustainability."
Key to the success of the strategy is including the well-being of local residents at every stage.
"We aim to grow revenues to $29 billion by 2027," Araujo said. "But at the same time, we want 90% of people in the major tourist regions or in major urban centers to recognize the value of tourism and be satisfied with tourism activity."
Green tourism is also a focus, Araujo said. "In the environmental area, it is intended that 90% of companies working in the sector, whether rent-a-car, hospitality, local accommodation, tourism, travel agents or tour operators, adopt efficient water-, energy- and waste-management measures."
Finally, Araujo outlined the latest marketing campaign, Portugal. The Summer, incorporating films and music designed to showcase the rhythms and culture of the country.