Azores Situation Report Wednesday 2nd April 2025
Azores sees second-highest increase in tourism among Portuguese regions in February
The tourist accommodation sector registered 1.8 million guests (+0.6% 2 ) and 4.2 million overnight stays (-2.5%) in February 2025, generating 287.7 million euros in total revenue and 208.8 million euros in revenue from accommodation (+4.0% and +3.4, respectively). Overnight stays by residents decreased by 0.8% (+11.0% in January), reaching 1.4 million, and those by non-residents decreased by 3.3% (+3.9% in January), totaling 2.8 million.
The largest decreases in overnight stays were recorded in the West and Tagus Valley and Greater Lisbon In February, the regions recorded distinct trends in overnight stays, with the largest increases being recorded in the Setúbal Peninsula (+7.8%) and the Azores (+5.1%).
The West and Tagus Valley recorded the largest decrease (-7.1%), followed by Greater Lisbon (-5.6%) and the Algarve (-5.1%). Overnight stays by residents recorded the most significant increases in the Madeira Autonomous Region (+13.6%). The largest decreases occurred in the West and Tagus Valley (-10.4%) and the Algarve (-8.1%).
Overnight stays by non-residents recorded the largest increases in the Setúbal Peninsula (+16.7%) and the Azores Autonomous Region (+15.3%). The largest decreases were recorded in Greater Lisbon (-7.2%) and the Centre (-6.5%). – Data from the National Statistics Institute.
Ponta Delgada traders have “good expectations” for the new tourist season
Ponta Delgada on the list of Portuguese cities where there is the greatest demand for housing by foreigners outside the European Union
Foreigners living outside the EU – such as Brazilians or North Americans, for example – lead the search for houses for sale in Portugal in 15 major cities. In Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, seven out of every 10 foreigners interested in buying a house in our country live outside European borders.
The proportion of international visitors from outside the EU is also higher than 64% in Braga, Coimbra and Viseu.
According to Idealista, most of the international demand for houses to buy in Porto also came from outside the EU (60.4%), as well as in Lisbon (60.2%), according to the same data from idealista/data for the last quarter of 2024.
In Faro, Portalegre, Guarda, Viana do Castelo and Bragança, foreigners living in EU countries were the ones who most sought houses to buy in Portugal.
What is also observed is that, in the last year, there has been an increase in demand for homes to buy by non-EU residents in 11 municipalities, such as Bragança, Porto, Funchal and Lisbon. The evolution of their interest remained practically unchanged in five large cities (Braga, Setúbal, Santarém, Vila Real and Viseu). And it fell in Guarda, Leiria, Ponta Delgada and Castelo Branco