Tourists visit Portugal looking for quality and then are happy with the low prices they find, according to the Secretary of State for Tourism.
Portugal is now on world tourism map and, despite never having been the main intention, low prices are one of the benefits noted by those visiting the country.
"I always believed that the greater the demand, the higher the prices that can be charged. This year, every hotel night sees hotels making more money than last year," said Adolfo Mesquita Nunes, the Secretary of State for Tourism, delighted that it has been possible "to increase demand, with prices reflecting this increase."
On National Tourism Day, Nunes noted that hotel occupancy has risen nearly 9% this year making it the “best year ever.”
The industry has recorded almost 27 million overnight stays in the first half of the year, according to the National Statistics Institute.
Despite tourists thinking that prices in Portugal are low compared to other countries, the Trivago Hotel Prices Index reveals that, in addition to increases in the numbers of overnight stays, there also has been a steep rise in prices. In August there was a 13% hotel price increase compared to last year.
Lisbon now is in 11th position among the ‘45 most popular destinations in the world’ in terms of quality:price, ahead of Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin and Barcelona.
