Passenger traffic at Faro airport increased by 5.7% between July and September in the third quarter of 2013 compared with the same period in 2012 according to Algarve Tourism.
In the report ‘Algarve - Tourist Situation' from Turismo de Portugal and Algarve Tourism it is stressed that the Algarve "confirmed its position as the leading tourist region in Portugal in the third quarter of 2013."
All indicators were up - guests, overnight stays, spending and occupancy rates," according to the publication.
The good Q3 performance was due to the large influx of foreigners which helped to offset the lower volume of domestic tourists, a trend that had been seen since the start of 2013.
The total passenger traffic at Faro airport increased by 5.7% to 2,490,650 passengers.
Germany was the best source of tourists, up 25.4%, helping the average occupancy rate per bed in the Algarve’s hotels to rise 2.7% to 72.7%.
The total number of golf games played in the Algarve in Q3 2013 increased slightly by 0.6% - 226,713 rounds were played, 1,487 more than in the same period of 2012.
The Algarve is the country’s tourist cash generator with an inflow of €327.8 million in the quarter. This represented 41.3% of the total revenues in the hospitality sector the country, an increase of 2.5% over the previous year.
The Algarve’s ports saw increases in goods exported and in passenger numbers. The ports in Faro, Portimão and Vila Real de Santo António recorded good growth in exports of goods (Faro) and cruise tourism.
Faro port exported 32% more goods and materials in 2013 compared to 2012, 278,000 tons to nearly 400,000 tons, mainly cement from Cimpor.
The level of cruise tourism at the port of Vila Real de Santo António increased by 18.75% passengers in 2013 compared to 2012 due to a new service to and from Seville and up the Guadiana.
The port of Portimão again received an increase in the number of passengers in 2013, up 8.83% to 20,141 people in 2013. The number of ships docking at Portimão was up from 36 to 42 hampered only by a lack of dredging, long promised and long ingored by central government.
