Despite high inflation in the world, over 2.8 million foreign visitors came to Portugal from January to March. In terms of tourism, it was the best quarter in history, according to Reuters, Portugal’s statistics office said. Tourism is the engine of Portugal’s economy, accounting for almost 15 percent of the country’s gross domestic product before the pandemic.
If only foreigners staying in Portuguese hotels were counted, their number significantly exceeded the 1.8 million people who stayed in them in the same period last year. There were also more than 2.5 million reported in the first three months of 2019, which was a record year for tourism. The following year, the covid-19 pandemic crippled world travel.
The statistics office also said in a separate report that growth in Portugal’s economy accelerated sharply to 1.6 percent in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter. The result supported net exports, which includes income from tourism.
