Record year on the horizon?
Hotels and tourist establishments in the Algarve are celebrating their best March in over 20 years. The region’s occupation per room rate last month was 62.4%, the highest rate recorded in March since 2002.
According to the Algarve hoteliers association (AHETA), data also shows that March 2023’s occupation rate was 10.7 percentage points higher than March 2019 – the year hailed as the “best ever” for tourism.
Hotels also recorded a 13.9pp increase compared to March 2022, AHETA adds.
The decades-best results were aided by increases in the Dutch (+3.6pp compared to March 2022) and German (+1.5pp) markets, as well as smaller increases in the Spanish and Portuguese markets (+0.6pp each).
The tourist areas that saw the biggest increases in bookings compared to last year where Portimão/Praia da Rocha (+16.1pp), Lagos/Sagres (+12.6pp) and Carvoeiro/Armação de Pêra (+10.2pp).
The Algarve has been celebrating great touristic results since the start of the year, with January and February each having recorded their highest occupation levels in at least 15 years.
April seems like it will follow suit, as Algarve tourism boss João Fernandes has told the Resident that around 90% of the region’s hotel rooms were booked over the Easter period.
