Summary
In the 3rd quarter 2014, residents in Portugal made 6.0 million tourist trips, 5.7% less than in the same quarter of 20131 (+11.5% in the previous quarter, somehow due to the Easter calendar effect). However, long term trips (four or more nights) increased by 2.1% and the number of trips abroad showed a 1.4% increase.
“Leisure, recreational or holiday” as a reason to travel was the most frequent (59.4% of trips made), with this type of travel having recorded a 3.5% reduction. Trips made to “visit relatives or friends” decreased by 13.2% while “professional or business” reasons as a motivation to travel increased by 6.6%.
In this quarter, there was a 3.7 p.p. increase in the share of overnight stays spent in “hotel and similar establishments”, which was 17.5% of the total (in Portugal and abroad), while there was a 5.1 p.p. reduction in the weight of overnight stays in “free private accommodation” (65.7% of the total).