Tourism to Take Major Hit from Lack of Air Corridor

7 July 2020 The UK government left Portugal off of the list of countries included in their air corridors, for some unfathomable reason. The country’s exclusion requires Brits returning from a visit to Portugal to self-isolate for two weeks. The decision will likely impose a significant burden on Portugal’s economy.  Last year, British tourists and business travellers accounted for 17.8% of the tourism revenues generated.

The British accounted for 9.4 million overnight stays in Portuguese hotels last year, and more than half of those (5.9 million) were in the Algarve, according to a report by Turismo de Portugal. Just in the two summer months of the high-season, British tourists spent 3.8 billion euros in Portugal in 2019.

The Algarve is the typical British tourists’ favoured destination, accounting for 64.1% of total overnight stays. Madeira, also very popular with residents of the United Kingdom, accounted for 17.9% of overnight stays.

Original Story: Jornal Expresso – André Manuel Correia

Translation/Summary: Richard D. Turner