Portugal’s tourist revenue totalled 9,890.58 million Euros in 2021 according to Bank of Portugal (BdP) data, still 45.9% under 2019’s pre-pandemic figures. 

However, the central bank said that compared to 2020, the findings are more positive, showing a rise of 28.2%. During that year, the accumulated revenues stemming from tourism activity – including tourist exports and foreign tourist spending – in the country, reached 7,716.44 million Euros. 

In regard to tourism imports, taking into account Portuguese tourist spending overseas, this figure hit 3,574.24 million Euros last year, 30.2% under 2019’s figure, when tourist imports reached 5,124.00 million Euros. In comparison to 2020, with imports totalling 2,743.23 million Euros, there has been a rise of 30.3%, according to a Portugal News report.

Portugal’s central bank has stressed that the rise in the surplus in travel and tourism contributed to the surplus in the balance of services, having risen in relation to 2020, adding that in 2021 “resident tourists in France, the United Kingdom and Spain continued to be responsible for the largest tourist revenue in Portugal”.

In addition, data from the Bank of Portugal shows during the month of December, there was a rally in tourist revenues compared to 2020. Indeed, revenues from December 2021 stood at 874.39 million Euros, a 68.9% increase compared to 517.56 million Euros in December 2020. Nevertheless, the figure still represents a 17.7% decline in tourist revenues compared to December 2019 when the figure hit 1,060.71 million Euros.

Furthermore, the central bank data shows the impact of the Omicron variant on tourism revenue in December last year. There was a 2.0% decline compared to the 892.12 million Euros from November 2021.