Fewer Portuguese are holidaying in the Algarve, opting instead for cheaper destinations including Tunisia, Morocco and Cape Verde.
The percentage of nationals heading south to the Algarve has dropped a full 5% from last year but the region is still the top destination within Portugal, followed by the currently pristine Alentejo coast (up 9%) and the northwestern coast.
Of the respondents to the survey, run by Mafalda Ferreira from the Marketing School for Business in Porto, 78% said they were going on holiday, rather than staying put due to finances and 90% were going between the months of June and August.
Of these holiday makers, 54.8% went somewhere in Portugal and the rest went to Europe (25.8%), Africa (5%) and South America (3%).
For those going abroad, Tunisia is providing good value for money, "Tunisia, as its returning, of course has cheaper prices, as Portugal had in more complicated periods. It is a destination that has been standing still and is recovering quite well," said Nuno Mateus, vice president of the Portuguese Association of Travel Agencies (APAVT), quoted in Expresso.
Also popular with Portuguese are Morocco and Cape Verde as well as the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Cancun in Mexico.
"Morocco has grown immensely and demand for Cape Verde has increased due to more competitive prices and more package tour flights. It’s also a destination with new hotels and has been livened up by the increasing demand for other international tourists," said Mateus.
According to the president of the Algarve’s hoteliers’ group, Elidérico Viegas, the region needs tourists with greater purchasing power and more quality hotels are required.
Viegas is relaxed about the 5% drop in Portuguese tourists visiting the region as, he claims, “one-third of the Algarve is occupied in August by domestic tourists and the drop indicated in the study is not being felt.”
"The Portuguese are a traditional market in the high season and they will continue to be. They maintain demand levels more or less similar to last year's levels. This also contributes to fill gaps from some external markets, namely the United Kingdom," explained Viegas.