The number of foreign visitors to Portugal reached over 18 million last year, rising 19% from 2022 and 11% compared to 2019, according to official data published on Wednesday.

Global tourism is only forecast to fully recover from the pandemic in 2024, says the United Nations' World Tourism Organisation.

A rise in global air connectivity and a robust recovery within Asian markets will lead to a complete tourism rebound around the world this year, the UN tourism body stated. This is despite risks stemming from geopolitical instability in the Middle East and elsewhere impacting traveller confidence.

Last year, more than 18.3 million foreign visitors stayed in hotels in Portugal, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE). Spain and the UK made up the two largest arrival numbers, followed by the US, Reuters news agency reports.

Furthermore, tourism – a major driver of the country's economy – made up around 15% of GDP before the pandemic and revenues from tourism helped Portugal achieve stronger-than-forecast growth last year.

The National Statistics Institute said the hotel sector in the country registered more than 30 million guests, with a 5% rise in the number of Portuguese travellers.

In addition, the country's economy grew 2.2% year-on-year and 0.8% quarter-on-quarter in the final three months of 2023, avoiding a technical recession, as GDP contracted 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in Q3, the INE revealed.

Economists forecast GDP growth year-on-year of between 1.2% and 2%, and in a chain within a growth range of 0.6% and a contraction of 0.1%, The Portugal News reports.

For 2023 as a whole, Portugal's GDP registered 2.3% growth, in line with the government's forecast target of 2.2%, following the 6.8% rise in 2022, the highest since 1987.