- Portugal up 10.3pc
- Algarve up 6.2pc
Irish tourist numbers to Portugal are up 10.3pc to end September and likely to exceed 300,000 in 2016. Ireland is now the ninth biggest market for Portugal, with 235,600 Irish visiting this year. Portugal is Ireland’s fourth most popular outbound destination.
Inbound numbers to Madeira rose by 22pc on the back of charter flight connections between Funchal and Ireland, while the Lisbon area, including Estoril and Cascais, was up by 14pc.
The biggest increase – 39.3pc – was to the Azores, albeit from a tiny base, partially due to Ryanair’s new year round service from Lisbon and seasonal service from Stansted to João Paulo II Airport on São Miguel. The holidaymakers’ favourite, the Algarve, saw a more modest increase of 6.2pc.
- Portugal 10.3pc
- Porto.Douro Valley 20.4pc
- Lisbon 14.7pc
- Alentejo Region 6.2pc
- Algarve 8.8pc
- Azores 39.3pc
- Madeira 22pc
Antonio Padeira, director of the Portugal Tourist Office for Ireland and Britain “figures are up in nearly every area of Portugal from Ireland. We will continue to invest in Ireland, promoting our destinations to potential Irish guests, and of course educating the Irish travel trade.”
Hugh Nascimento, product manager, sun and sea, Algarve Tourist Board, said “Ireland still holds an incredible fifth place in the rankings for the Algarve.” In an effort to boost inbound numbers during the off and shoulder seasons, the Portuguese Tourist Board recently launched 365 Algarve, which focuses on cultural events, and which is running from last month until May 2017.
