Tourism in Portugal
Portugal attracts many tourists each year. In 2006, the country was visited by 7 million tourists.
[1]
Tourism is playing an increasingly important role in Portugal's economy
contributing about 5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Lisbon is, after
Barcelona,
the European city attracting most tourists, with 7 million tourists
sleeping in the city's hotels in 2006, the number grew 11.8% compared to
previous year.
[2] Porto and Northern Portugal, especially the urban areas north of
Douro River,
was the tourist destination which grew most (11.9%) in 2006 and
surpassed Madeira, in 2010, as the third most visited destination.
Today, most tourists in Portugal are
Spanish,
British,
French,
Dutch,
Scandinavians or
Brazilians, which not only search for beach vacations, but mostly cultural ones, city breaks, gastronomy,
nautical tourism or business traveling.
Portugal wins 14 "Oscars" of the tourism. The national tourism had 77
nominations and won a total of 14 awards in more than 10 European
categories, surpassing Spain or Italy, at the gala of the World Travel
Awards 2015, whose ceremony took place in Sardenha, Italy.