The tourist accommodation sector recorded 460,000 guests and 946,800 overnight stays in April, up 762.6% and 510.8%, respectively, compared to the same month of 2020, when most hotels were closed due to the lockdown (-59.6% and -67.1% in March, in the same order).
According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the number of guests fell by 80.3%, and overnight stays were down 84.2% compared to April 2019.
Overnight stays by Portuguese residents increased by 517.0% (-20.8% in March) and non-resident overnight stays grew by 496.5% (-86.7% in the previous month). Compared to April 2019, there were decreases of 60.3% and 93.5%, respectively. In the first four months of the year, a 70.1% decrease in total overnight stays resulted from declines of 39.0% for residents and 85.6% for non-residents. According to the INE, 47.6% of tourist accommodation establishments were closed or did not record guest movement in April (vs 60.4% in March).
The report also indicated that some growth was noted for guests and overnight stays, but with a large reduction compared to 2019. In April of this year, the tourist accommodation sector recorded 460,000 thousand guests and 946,800 overnight stays, up 762.6% and 510.8%, respectively (-59.6% and -67.1% in March, in the same order). Compared to April 2019, the volume of guests fell by 80.3%, while overnight stays decreased by 84.2%. In turn, overnight stays in hotels (73.4% of the total) increased by 678.8% (-86.0% compared to April 2019). Overnight stays in local accommodation establishments (19.7% of the total) rose 219.7% (-77.9% compared to the same month of 2019), and those in rural and residential tourism (share of 6.9%) increased 785.0% (-58.7% compared to April 2019).
In April, 47.6% of tourist accommodation establishments were closed or recorded no guests, compared to 60.4% in March. The domestic market (70.6% share) accounted for 668,100 overnight stays, while external markets contributed 278,700. Compared to Apri +l 2019, there were decreases of 60.3% in resident overnight stays and 93.5% in non-resident overnight stays.
There was a 70.1% decrease in total overnight stays, in the first four months of the year, resulting from variations of -39.0% in residents and -85.6% in non-residents. In this period, the nights spent by residents represented 68.1% of the total, accounts that contrast with those verified in 2020 (33.4% of the total) and in 2019 (29.7% of the total).
The main external markets registered drops of more than 50% between January and April. All seventeen main source markets recorded increases in April, accounting for 77.4% of nights spent by non-residents in tourist accommodation establishments this month. In the first four months of 2021, the smallest decreases were registered in the Polish (-55.5%), Swiss (-69.6%) and Italian (-74.1%) markets. The biggest decreases were seen in the Canadian (-97.4%) and Chinese (-96.4%) markets.
Lisbon was the highlight, accounting for ¼ of the overnight stays in April. The Lisbon Metropolitan Area concentrated 24.4% of nights spent in April, followed by the North (19.7%), the Centre (15.5%) and the Algarve (14.9%). In the first four months of the year, the regions with the lowest decreases were Alentejo (-38.4%), Autonomous Region of the Azores (-45.5%), Centre (-56.7%) and North (-63.6%), while the remaining regions registered decreases of over 70%.
