Between 2018 and 2022, Porto experienced more than double the growth in overnight stays for tourists compared to Lisbon.

Last year, Porto offered 25,936 tourist beds, marking a 30% increase from the 19,901 available in 2018. In contrast, Lisbon saw a 13% growth during the same period, with the number of beds rising from 59,428 in 2018 to 67,283 in 2022.

These findings stem from an analysis by ECO based on data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) that examines tourism metrics. The data encompasses beds in hotels and local accommodations with more than ten beds, excluding beds in private residences.

A closer look at the data reveals that over half of Porto's increase of 6,035 beds in 2022, amounting to 4,601 beds (76%), are in hotels. The remaining 1,434 new beds are in local accommodations. This growth in beds is attributed to the emergence of new hotels and hostels in Porto, with 43 more hotels and 65 additional local accommodation establishments in 2022 compared to 2018.

In Lisbon, there were 7,855 more beds available for tourists in 2022 than in 2018. This growth is the result of an increase of 8,508 beds in hotels, with 56 new hotels opening during this period, offset by a reduction of 714 beds (5% decrease) in local accommodations, following the closure of 34 establishments over the past five years.

Hoteliers attribute Porto's superior growth to increased air traffic, highlighting the impact of airlines like Ryanair flying to Francisco Sá Carneiro airport, which has generated heightened interest from both national and international investors in recent years. Photo by Rititaneves, Wikimedia commons.