Tourism in Portugal is set to continue to grow, despite already reaching record highs.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism in Portugal is predicted to grow by some 5.3 percent during 2019, helping to further boost the economy which has managed to successfully recover from the global financial crisis.

Tourism accounts for 20 percent of the GDP in Portugal and is responsible for the creation of more than a million jobs and further growth is vital in sustaining the buoyant economy of the country.

Last year alone, tourism in Portugal grew by 8.1 percent, the highest rate across the European union, and the industry brought in mover 38 billion euros in revenue.

According to a report by South EU: “This growth is in part due to the government’s Strategy 2027, a ten-year tourism plan that seeks to boost overnight stays, and increase revenue in the sector. 

“Aside from these goals, it also takes measures to reduce seasonality, to ensure that jobs do not cyclically appear and disappear depending on when tourists prefer to travel to the country. To guarantee that tourism does not damage Portugal’s natural environment – one of the main pulls for visitors –  the government’s plan has set standards for sustainable water and energy use, that will apply to 90 per cent of tourism companies.”

While increased demand for accommodation in both Lisbon and Porto have led to  shortages during the peak seasons, the Algarve has managed to maintain accommodation levels to avoid similar problems, this has also helped the real estate and construction sectors across the region.

Despite worries about Brexit, the Algarve and Portugal continues to attract overseas tourists and measures to encourage tourists from other destinations, not only the UK, have also helped to prevent a crisis in this booming sector.