August, traditionally the busiest month of the year for tourism in the Algarve, saw occupancy rates of 90% according to data from AHETA, the region’s hotels and tourist resorts association.
While 90% occupancy could be considered to be a positive indicator for the Algarve, it actually represented a drop of 2.2% in comparison to the same period last year and, coupled with the decrease in total turnover by 3.6%, shows that the region is not yet out of financial difficulties.
The areas that saw the largest fall in occupancy levels during August were Vilamoura/ Quarteira/ Quinta do Lago, where levels were down by 14.3%, and Monte Gordo, where occupancy was down by 2.9%.
Albufeira, the Algarve’s principle tourism destination, saw a drop in occupancy of 1.8% but there were positive results for Portimão and Praia da Rocha, which saw rates increase by 2.6% in August in comparison to the same period in 2010.
British visitors appear to be making a comeback to the region, with an increase of 14.2%, and Dutch visitor numbers were up by 22.3% while the Portuguese national visitors were down by 5.6% and Spanish tourist numbers fell by 14.1%.
