Tourism in Portugal

Tourism in Portugal attracts many tourists each year. Portugal was visited by 12,8 million tourists. Tourism is playing an increasingly important role in Portugal's economy contributing with about 5% of the the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The main tourist areas in Portugal are, by order of importance, the Greater Lisbon (Lisboa), the Algarve, Portuguese Islands (Ilhas Portuguesas: Madeira and Azores), Greater Porto and Northern Portugal (Porto e Norte) and Alentejo.

Tourism in Lisbon is, after Barcelona, the European city attracting most tourists, with 7 million tourists sleeping in the city's hotels. Lisbon in recent years surpassed the Algarve as the leading tourist region in Portugal. Porto and Northern Portugal, especially the urban areas north of Douro River, was the tourist destination which grew most (11.9%) for vacation. Today, most tourists in Portugal are British, Spanish or German, travel in low cost airliners, and are not only in search of the beach and the sun, but mostly searching culture, city breaks, gastronomy, nautical tourism or travel in business.

Tourism regions in Portugal

Tourist hotspots in Portugal are Lisbon, the Algarve and Madeira, but the Portuguese government is currently developing new tourism destinations: the Douro Valley, Porto Santo Island, and Alentejo.

Portugal has several other tourism regions such as Douro Sul, Templarios, Dao-Lafoes, Costa do Sol, Costa Azul, Planicie Dourada, etc. Most of them are unknown to tourists and locals alike.

All these regions are grouped in tourism reference areas, which are widely known due to the fact that these are the traditional regions:

• Costa Verde — The Portuguese green coast comprises all the northern coast of Portugal from the estuary of the Minho River to the city of Porto.
• Costa da Prata — Silver coast. The coast of central Portugal from Porto to Lisbon.
• Costa de Lisboa — Lisbon coast. The coast of the capital city and its important suburbs.
• Montanhas — Mountainous and interior regions of northern and central Portugal, namely Serra da Estrela and Trás-os-Montes.
• Planícies — The Portuguese plane region of Alentejo in the south.
• Algarve — The southern coast of Portugal.
• Madeira — The Madeira islands.
• Açores — The Azores islands.

Tourism and immigration in the Algarve

In the 1960s the Algarve became a very popular destination for tourists, mainly from Britain. It has since become a common destination for Germans, Dutch and Irish people. Many of these tourists own their own property in the region. There are Tourisn in Algarve based English written publications and newspapers specifically addressed to this community. In addition to the natural beauties and plenty of beaches, the Algarve has invested in the creation of a network of golf courses. Well-known beaches in the Algarve range from Praia da Luz to Armação de Pêra. A well known spa town is Caldas de Monchique.

The Algarve is a popular destination for tourism, primarily because of its beaches, Mediterranean climate, safety and relatively low costs.

Algarve's mild climate has attracted interest from Northern Europeans wishing to have a holiday home or residence in the region. Being a region of Portugal, and therefore in the European Union, any EU citizen has the right to freely buy property and reside with little formality in the Algarve. British expatriates, followed by German, Dutch and Scandinavians, are among the largest groups wishing to own a home in this sunny region of Portugal.

Tourism plays an important role in the economy of the Algarve. A large number of seasonal job opportunities are tourism-related and are fulfilled by thousands of immigrant workers from countries like Brazil, Ukraine and Cape Verde, among others.

In March 2007, the Minister of Economy, Manuel Pinho, announced the creation of the "Allgarve" brand, as a part of a strategical promotion of the Algarve as a tourism destination for foreign citizens.

Tourism in Douro

The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in the province of Soria across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto. Its total length is 897 km, of which only sections on the Portuguese river are navigable by light rivercraft.

In its Spanish section, the Duero crosses the great Castilian meseta and meanders through five significant provinces of the autonomous community of Castile and Leon: Soria, Burgos, Valladolid, Zamora, and Salamanca, passing through the towns of Soria, Almazán, Aranda de Duero, Tordesillas, and Zamora.

In this region there are few large tributaries of the Duero. The most important tourist destination are the Pisuerga, passing through Valladolid, and the Esla, which passes through Benavente.

This region, for the most part, is one of semi-arid plains planted with wheat and in some places, especially near Aranda de Duero, in wine grapes, in the Ribera del Duero wine region. Sheep rearing is also still important.

Then, for 112 km, the river forms part of the national border line between Spain and Portugal, in a region of narrow canyons, making it an historical barrier for invasions and a linguistic dividing line. This isolated area has now a protected status: the International Douro Natural Park.

Once the Douro enters Portugal, major population centres are less frequent. Except for Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, at the river mouth, the only population centres of any note are Foz do Tua, Pinhão and Peso da Régua. Tributaries are small and flow into canyons to enter the larger river. The most important are the Côa, the Tua,the Sabor ,the Corgo ,the Tavora,Paiva,the Tâmega and the Sousa. None of these small, fast flowing rivers are navigable. The Douro vinhateiro,an area of the Douro Valley in Portugal was classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Patrimony Sight.

These reaches of the Douro have a microclimate allowing for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes important for making the famous Port wine. The region around Pinhão and São João da Pesqueira is considered to be the centre of Port wine, with its picturesque quintas or farms clinging on to almost vertical slopes dropping down to the river. Many of these quintas are owned by multinational wine companies and are worth a visit.

Traditionally, the wine was taken down river in flat-bottom boats called rabelos, to be stored in barrels in cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, just across the river from Porto. In the 1950s and 1960s dams were built along the river ending this river traffic. There are nine dams on the Portuguese Douro alone making the flow of water uniform and generating hydroelectric power. Now Port wine is transported in tanker trucks.

Recently, a prosperous tourist industry has developed based on river excursions from Porto to points along the Upper Douro valley. Boats pass through the dams by way of locks.

In Portugal, the Douro flows through the districts of Bragança, Guarda, Viseu, Vila Real, Aveiro and Porto. Porto is the main hub city in northern Portugal and it`s historic centre is declared as a UNESCO monumental place.

The railway Linha do Douro connects Porto, Rio Tinto, Ermesinde, Valongo, Paredes, Penafiel, Livração, Marco de Canaveses, Régua, Tua and Pocinho. Pocinho is near the city of Foz Côa, wich is close to Vale Arqueológico do Côa, (an Archaeological pre-historic patrimony)another UNESCO Heritage Sight.

Major riverside towns: Soria, Almazán, Aranda de Duero, Tordesillas, Zamora (Spain); Miranda do Douro, Foz Coa, Peso da Régua (most frequently known as Régua, Lamego, Vila Nova de Gaia, (usually simply known as Gaia) and Porto (Oporto) (Portugal).

The most populous cities along the Douro are Valladolid, Zamora (in Spain) and Porto and Gaia, (in Portugal). The latter two are located at the mouth of the Douro, which is the second largest river in the Iberian Peninsula (The Tagus or Tejo river is the largest in the Iberian Peninsula).

Tourism in Madeira

Tourism in Madeira is an important sector in the region's economy since it contributes 20% to the region's GDP, providing support throughout the year for commercial, transport and other activities and constituting a significant market for local products. The share in Gross Value Added of hotels and restaurants (9%) also highlights this phenomenon. The island of Porto Santo, with its 9 km long beach and its climate, is totally devoted to tourism. Over the past decade it has recorded a substantial increase in its hotel accommodation capacity.

Tourism Development in Madeira is considered to have potential since the necessary infrastructure has been established and adequate investment incentives have been introduced for expanding its hotel and catering structure in a controlled manner. Conservation of its nature tourism is important as it is one of tourists' main reasons for visiting Madeira.

Visitors are mainly from the European Union, with German, British, Scandinavian and Portuguese tourists providing the main contingents. The average annual occupancy rate was 57.4% , reaching its maximum in March and April, when it exceeds 70%.

The Islands have two airports, Funchal Airport on the Island of Madeira and the other in the island of Porto Santo. Flights to the islands are mostly made from Lisbon and Porto, but there are also direct flights from other major European cities and other countries, like Brazil, Venezuela and South Africa.

In the past Funchal airport, was infamous for its runway, which was short and was built on a high embankment but which fell away abruptly to the sea and was often troubled by difficult upwinds which tended to uplift aircraft when landing. In the past the largest airliners that were able to use the airport were the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 and in 1977 a Boeing 727 aircraft when landing in unfavorable weather ran off the cliff at the end of the runway causing over 150 deaths. Recently, however, the runway has been realigned and extended from 1800m to 2481m, enabling almost any modern airliner to visit the island, including the Boeing 747-400, one of the biggest airliners today.

European Union citizens of the Schengen Treaty area can enter the islands freely, while those from other regions need identification.

Transport between the two main islands is done by plane or by ferries, the latter also allowing for the transportation of vehicles. Visiting the interior of the islands is now very easy, due to major road developments, known as the Via Rapids, on the islands during Portugal's economic boom. Modern roads reach all points of interest on the islands. The old, curving mountain roads are still an excellent way to tour the island. Funchal has an extensive public transportation system. Bus companies, including Horários do Funchal which has been operating for over a hundred years, have regularly scheduled routes to all points of interest on the island.

When the Portuguese discovered the island of Madeira in 1419, it was completely uninhabited by humans, with no aboriginal population at all. The island was settled by Portuguese people, especially farmers from the Minho region, meaning that Madeirans, as they are called, are ethnic Portuguese, though they have developed their own distinct regional identity and cultural traits.