Portugal Provides Affordable European Getaway
Tuesday, 25 October 2011 20:39
Falling prices for accommodation in Portugal increases American tourist interest. The falling cost of traveling to and within Portugal has increased the amount of American tourists vacationing in the country. (As the economic turmoil feltaround the world continues, American tourists have turned their attention towards more affordable destinations.) Americans are now ranked as Portugal’s 8th largest inbound market and ranks 6th in terms of money spent on vacation in Portugal per capita, according to data released by the NationalInstitute of Statistics. Portugal has more than doubled the amount of American tourists visiting the country since 2005.
Portuguese tourist destinations such as Madeira, the Algarve and Lisbon have seen a 20% increase in American spending in the first sevenmonths of the year, according to data released by the Portugal News. Over the same period, hotel overnights increased at a rate of 8%, which puts Portugal third behind only Brazil and the United States during 2010.
Price of Travel, a website dedicated to providing information on affordable travel in Europe, ranked Lisbon in the top 15 destinations in their Backpacking Index for 2011. The site tracks every major cultural destination in Europe with regard to accommodation, transportation, attraction, food, and drinking costs. According to the site, travelers to Lisbon “will find an extremely handsome and charming city that is a great bargain as well.”
Black Book Magazine, a travel destination publication, ranked Lisbon only behind Dublin, Ireland as the most affordable holiday city in Europe. The ranking is based on the Backpacking Index as well as personal opinions of members of the magazine. The site lists the “cheap flights from many destinations and relatively low prices on high-end hotels” as the determining factors for their ranking.
Portugal National Tourist Office