Portugal is one of the most sought-after destinations by Portuguese and European citizens, according to a new report by Publituris. 

The research cites data from Jetcost and highlights the rise in the search for flights to Portugal during the month of August, with Lisbon at the top of the ranking. 

The most sought-after destinations for the Portuguese in August are Lisbon, Porto, Madeira, Palma, São Miguel, Paris, Barcelona, São Miguel, Paris, Barcelona, São Paulo, Faro, Madrid, Ibiza, Malta, Cabo Verde, Roma, Alicante, Athens, Porto Santo, Terceiras, Amsterdam, Menorca, Gran Canaria, London, São Tomé, Malaga, Rio de Janeiro and Tenerife. 

According to Jetcost, "the recovery of tourism is a fact," with the report stating it is reaching all-time highs, surpassing 2019's pre-pandemic figures, The Portugal News reports. 

"Europeans are more eager than ever to travel this August," Jetcost data shows. Indeed, travel searches for this month are up 37% compared to August 2019 and 14% higher than August 2022. 

"A good part of Europeans who decided to travel during the holidays of the month of August 2023 have Portugal as a destination, either due to the climate with the sun and the beach as the main reasons, or due to the destination's cultural wealth, the customs and the popular festivals, as well as gastronomy, in addition to the good hotels and infrastructures and the lower prices than other countries," says Jetcost, with Portugal just behind Spain and Italy as the most sought-after country for an August holiday. 

Furthermore, Porto is the most coveted city by visitors from France and Spain, the second by Germans, and the third by Italian, British and Dutch tourists. 

Holidays to Faro are also in high demand, being the most popular destination by visitors from the UK and the Netherlands and the third by French and German travellers. 

Regarding the islands, Madeira was the preferred destination by European tourists, being the second most sought-after by Italian visitors, third by Spanish and fourth by French, UK, German and Dutch travellers.