The Portuguese favourite destinations. Are you Portuguese and want to know what’s the trend for travelling in your country? Or are you expanding your tourism business to Portugal and want to know what to offer? This article will give you some clues about where the Portuguese like to go when they can travel abroad.
Generally, the Portuguese love travelling. They like to venture out of their country and discover new places and cultures. Some like to visit places for their history, others for their food, or their beaches. Sometimes it is a mix of all these factors, they just like to experience other cultures.
I found an article on infocult.pt, where we can find the places where the Portuguese go. The article shows the numbers for 2019. There was hardly any travelling in 2020.
The most popular cities to visit
According to the article, the favourite cities to visit for the Portuguese are located in Europe. The favourite is London, followed by Paris and Barcelona. Outside Europe, the favourite cities are New York, in 7th place and Marrakesh, in 9th.
A lot of Portuguese tourists like to learn about other countries’ history and Europe has a lot to offer in that front.
Most popular countries
However, if you asked them about their favourite countries to visit, the article shows they prefer to travel far from Europe. Even though Portugal has an amazing coastline with exquisite beaches, they also love to visit exotic places with pristine waters. The article shows that the preferred destination is the Maldives (71%), followed by Tunisia (61%) and Sri Lanka (43%).
Does the price matter?
In a country where the wages are still very low, it is obvious that when choosing their next holiday the Portuguese will consider the price. Not everyone can afford a trip to the Maldives. However, and according to the first chart on this article, the top cities are not necessarily the cheapest. The article shows London in first place with an average of 99€ return tickets. The cheapest option in this category would be Madrid, with an average of 69€ return tickets. The city classified in second is Paris with an average return ticket costing 104€, which is the fifth more expensive destination in this chart. The most expensive would be New York (7° place), where a return ticket will cost an average of 438€.
My analysis
I believe most Portuguese love to travel abroad. The costs may influence their choices but they are not necessarily a deterrent. Some families save for that dream holiday and that is usually somewhere distant and paradisic.
Things have changed in the last decades, and people have a bit more purchase power. Low-coast airlines have also helped them travel, and the abundance of offerings mean competitive prices.