# Foreign tourism to Portugal surpasses pre-COVID levels in July
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-08-31
Category: NEWS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news
Meta Title: Portugal Tourism Rebounds: July Sees Record Foreign Visitors
Meta Description: Discover how Portugal's tourism industry has bounced back, welcoming over 1.8 million foreign tourists in July, exceeding 2019 figures.
URL: https://financedigest.com/foreign-tourism-to-portugal-surpasses-pre-covid-levels-in-julyhtml

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LISBON (Reuters) – The number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal slightly surpassed pre-pandemic levels in July for the first time since the end of most COVID-19 restrictions, data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) showed on Wednesday.

More than 1.8 million foreigners stayed in Portuguese hotels last month, up from around 600,000 a year ago, when the country still had some restrictions in place, and slightly above 1.78 million in July of 2019, which was a record year for tourism.

Portugal’s tourism sector accounted for almost 15% of gross domestic product before the pandemic that broke out in early 2020, crippling global travel.

Still, the cumulative number of foreign visitors in the first seven months of the year, at 8.1 million, was still about a [million short of the same period](https://www.financedigest.com/hydrogen-vehicle-market-is-projected-to-reach-valuation-of-us-150-million-during-forecast-period-2031.html "Hydrogen Vehicle Market Is Projected To Reach Valuation Of US$ 150 Million During Forecast Period, 2031") of 2019.

Visitors from neighbouring [Spain accounted for the largest share of total arrivals in July](https://www.financedigest.com/in-renewed-push-spain-to-tender-eu-funds-for-evs-batteries-in-july.html "In renewed push, Spain to tender EU funds for EVs, batteries in July") with 285,900, followed by Britain and the United States, which has recently grown as a source of tourism to Portugal.

Tourism has been recovering not least thanks to Portugal’s location on Europe’s southwest tip far from the [war ravaging Ukraine](https://www.financedigest.com/ukraine-grants-citizenship-to-top-russian-journalist-who-denounced-war.html "Ukraine grants citizenship to top Russian journalist who denounced war"), and people’s general perception of it as a safe place. Still, the sector [faces the same challenges of staffing](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-airports-face-christmas-disruption-as-border-staff-to-strike.html "UK airports face Christmas disruption as border staff to strike") shortages and rampant inflation as most other European countries.

(Reporting by Patrícia Vicente Rua; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Chizu Nomiyama)


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