Occupancy of Portugal’s remaining hotels may have been at pleasing levels this summer but did the sector make any money?
The Hospitality Association of Portugal said today that hotel revenue actually dropped 9.17% this August compared to 2012 - a pretty dire year with which to compare figures.
In a statement today a worried association reported that occupancy rates at the national level had increased by 2.91% to 81.68% but the price per room had fallen.
"In practical terms tourists spent less than €100 per night at hotels, which is worrying. The time spent in each hotel dropped by 8.5% with an average stay of 2 days," according to a worried chairman of the board of the association, Cristina Siza Vieira, who stated that August of course remained the primary month for the sector.
The Algarve did well on average price. The countrywide average was €64.72 per night with the Algarve safely ahead of the pack at €97.99. Next was the Estoril/Sintra area hotels at €85.73.
The rate of occupancy increased in almost all categories, with a small decrease in stays at five star hotels but occupancy rates are not enough to drag the sector back into the black.
