Lisbon, Oct. 22, 2024 (Lusa) - The Hotel Association of Portugal (AHP) on Tuesday praised the summer, when the occupancy rate was 81% and the average price per room rose to €172, "consolidating the position even with the domestic market."
According to the association's president, the results of AHP's "Summer Balance 2024" inquiry (for the period between June and September) contradict the idea that high prices had led to the Portuguese moving away from the Algarve.
"The Portuguese have contributed to the Algarve's figures, as have the British, the Germans and now the Americans," said Bernardo Trindade today.
In this regard, the association leader emphasised the importance of the American market's growth to the south, given its great "purchasing power" and the fact that, historically, it has had direct relations with hotel chains, removing intermediaries and allowing establishments to make greater profits.
"There is a combination of factors that forces us to look at these figures with satisfaction. The Algarve had a good summer, which was felt all over the country, and that makes us satisfied," summarised Bernardo Trindade.
According to AHP data, between June and September, the national hotel occupancy rate was 81%, with the Azores and Madeira standing out with 91% occupancy.
This was followed by the Algarve, with 85%, and Greater Lisbon and the Setúbal Peninsula, with 84%. The North recorded an occupancy rate of 76%, and the Alentejo closed the summer with 72%.
The regions with the lowest occupancy rates were the West and Tagus Valley and the Centre, with 62% and 70% respectively.
The average price per room was €172 nationwide, with the Algarve leading the way with €227, followed by the Alentejo and Greater Lisbon with €195 and €193, respectively.
The average holidaymaker's stay was 3.1 nights nationwide, with Madeira and the Algarve leading the way with 5.4 nights and 4.8 nights, respectively.
The Azores, with 3.4 nights, were also above average, while in other regions, such as Greater Lisbon and the Centre, the average stay was 2.7 nights. In the Alentejo and Setúbal Peninsula, it was 2.6 and 2.5 nights, respectively.
The West and Tagus Valley had the lowest average stay of two nights.
When asked about total revenue in the summer period, 75% of those surveyed by the AHP reported better or much better results than last year, while 17% pointed to worse or much worse results.
In September, the AHP highlighted the performance recorded by hotels in the second fortnight, which was driven by "major international events that helped boost occupancy and price results".
As for the source markets, the association notes that 73% of respondents named the domestic market one of the top three, with the United Kingdom (53%) and the United States (51%) in second and third place, "consolidating the American market as one of the most important for the national hotel sector."
Some 44% of those surveyed mentioned the Spanish market, followed by Germany, mentioned by 25%. The French market, which was losing strength, was included in the "top 3" by only 19% of those surveyed.
Concerning booking channels, the association pointed to the "dominance of online platforms", with Booking being mentioned by 96% of respondents, followed by own websites (78%) and travel agencies (43%).
With a 95% confidence interval and a margin of error of 4.89%, the AHP inquiry was carried out between 1 and 14 October among 343 associated tourist resorts in the North (11%), Centre (7%), West and Tagus Valley (8%), Greater Lisbon (38%), Setúbal Peninsula (3%), Alentejo (7%), Algarve (11%), Azores (7%) and Madeira (8%).
PD/ADB // ADB.
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