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The Number of Hotels in Lisbon Almost Doubled in a Decade
7 April 2018
The Lisbon Tourism Association (ATL) reported that the number of three-, four- and five-star hotels in the city of Lisbon almost doubled over the last ten years.
Vítor Costa, ATL’s general-director told Lusa that the Lisbon capital had 105 such hotels in 2008, while it had 204 in 2017. Mr Costa added that the growth had brought “some wealth” to the country, preventing Portugal from continuing its decline.
The largest increase in hotel accommodations took place between 2014 and 2015, when 23 new hotels opened in the city, following an increase in demand, Mr Costa said in statements to the news agency.
“Trends here took us to a new level as a tourist destination these days compared what it was before, with positive economic impacts regarding its impact on the regional economy, exports and employment,” ATL’s general-director stated.
According to the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP), 61 hotels are expected to open in Portugal this year, 25 of which will be in Lisbon.
The Lisbon region as a whole will receive 29 new hotels, only four of which will be outside the city itself.
Asked if the number of hotels could be exceeding the city’s capacity, Mr Costa demurred, though he stressed that “there is a need for this growth to be managed sustainably.”
“I think that if we did not have this tourism, public transport would not improve, the housing problem would remain, the historic neighbourhoods would have continued to deteriorate, and we would all be the poorer for it.”
“No one can say if there is too much tourism, or too little. If I try to get into the Jeronimos Monastery at a peak time, I’d say there’s too much tourism because of the queue I’d have to wait in,” he said, adding that “the most important thing is not to discuss whether there is too much or too little, it’s how we can manage and continue to develop tourism positively.”
Regardless, Vítor Costa argued that it is important to improve “accessibility and mobility” within the city, particularly in relation to airport infrastructure and the improvement of the Lisbon Metro and Carris services.
Regarding the average price per room in three-, four- and five-star hotels, data from Turismo de Portugal show that in 2017, a hotel room in Lisbon cost an average of 103 euros, the highest amount in 10 years.
Demand has also increased, with the occupancy rate per room around 81%, the highest figure between 2008 and 2017.
Original Story: LUSA / Diário Imobiliário
Translation: Richard Turner