The latest Trivago research shows only Portuguese holiday-makers increasingly looking in the Alentejo for summer breaks.
However, the Summer Trend Study, 2015 shows the enduring popularity of the Algarve with top searches including Albufeira, Monte Gordo, Portimão, Faro, Lagos, Vilamoura, Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo and Alvor.
The Portuguese and Spanish prefer Albufeira and Monte Gordo in the Algarve but the number one search was for hotels in Lisbon, followed by Oporto.
"The Portuguese look for typically summer destinations in the Algarve such as Albufeira and Monte Gordo, but there also is a great demand for the Alentejo region, unlike with the foreign tourists.”
For the Spanish, the main interest in the Algarve is Albufeira, third behind Lisbon and Oporto, as well as Faro, Monte Gordo and Portimão, occupying seventh, eighth and ninth places.
"The Spaniards seem to value other locations with less typical summer characteristics, with Oporto, Northern Portugal, Braga and Guimarães chosen as well as the traditional beach destinations of the Algarve."
The British like the Algarve, but Lisbon is their top search, followed by Albufeira in second place and Vilamoura in third.
Albufeira is the favorite Algarve destination for the Irish, occupying first place in the searches, then Lisbon followed by Lagos, Faro, Alvor, Praia da Rocha, Vale do Lobo, Portimão and Porches.
The Germans search on Faro in the Algarve but again, the top search is Lisbon and then Oporto.
The French also looked at Lisbon and Porto, with Albufeira, Lagos and Faro in third, fourth and fifth positions.
The Algarve as a region comes in third place if all nationalities are added together, with Lisbon and Oporto almost always the top two searches.
The exceptions are the British where the Algarve is in second place behind Lisbon, and the Irish where the Algarve comes fourth.
Despite the Algarve assuming the crown for the most popular destination in Portugal, accounting for 40% of the country’s tourism revenue, searches show a continuing desire to look first at Lisbon and Oporto as possible holiday destinations.
The Alentejo hardly makes it s presence felt, apart from with Portuguese holiday planners, lacking as it does a functioning airport and hence low-cost flights to and from.
Comments
So weirdly call themselves PS and yet their policies are of preference for major landowners 'farming' and 'tourism' projects at the expense of smaller, more flexible and cost effective 'business generation' projects.
Beja Airport was driven by the elite VIP interests with, in theory, their Herdades to rent out without the slightest comprehension that Faro is only 10 minutes south by air away. And Badajoz a similar time to the north east.
The theoretical rentable Herdades were where the first tourism EU structural investment funds went in the Alentejo. Millions thrown at each country estate on the assumption it was to generate tourism and to payback for the indignity of the mid-1970's when the estate owners were being harassed by the 'great unwashed' wanting work. Just for the 'Tuscan' imitation elite - with almost nothing invested to generate mid and low impact tourism.
So stunningly poor use of funds. Within a couple of years great numbers had reverted back to being in totally private use.