In 2022,
the World Travel Awards recognized Porto as the World's Leading City Destination.
It was also considered the 2nd Best City Destination
in Europe by Condé Nast Traveller 2021, and the 4th Hottest Destination in Europe for Digital Nomads by Nomad
List 2022.
The city’s unique setting and well-preserved heritage
are some of the reasons why Porto is attracting a growing number of tourists.
From its historic centre, to a UNESCO World Heritage site, from the world-famous
Port Wine and local gastronomy, to the supply of quality accommodation,
leisure, and cultural options, Porto delights tourists with the
"right" chills, providing them with a positive and lifelong experience.
Porto is undergoing a rapid tourism development,
recording one of the best sector performances in Portugal and Europe. The
number of tourist guests in Porto reached a historic high of 3.7 million in
2019, after growing consistently at double-digit rates. Despite the impact of
the pandemic crisis, tourism demand has shown some signs of recovery: the number of overnight stays in Porto was 2.5 million
from January to July 2022, almost reaching the level for the same period in
2019. Porto
and the Northern Region of Portugal are now the country’s second main tourist
destination after Algarve.
According to a 2019 survey by EY, over
half of the investors believe that tourism will continue to drive Porto's and Northern
Portugal’s growth in the coming years. Tourism
development also drove up the performance of the local real estate market,
which was considered by Forbes as one of the top
6 investment picks in Europe for 2020.
Porto International Airport and the new Porto Cruise Terminal are the two main entryways for international tourists visiting the city. Both infrastructures have won international awards for their quality and design, and both have enough capacity to accommodate increased passenger flows.
Porto
Airport stands as the fastest growing airport in Portugal, reaching a record of
13 million passengers in 2019. This highly connected hub hosts regular flights
to 100 destinations and has been distinguished as the Best Airport in Europe by ACI Airport Service
Quality Awards 2022, in the category of 10-25 Million passengers.
The
new Porto Cruise Terminal received 101 cruise ships and 88,700 tourists in 2019. It has won multiple international prizes of
architecture and design, including Building of the Year 2017 by ArchDaily International, and People's Choice 2016 by AZ Awards.
Porto offers access to talent from the large network
of local schools specializing in Tourism and Hospitality education. They offer
training programmes sponsored by the national tourism authority (Turismo de
Portugal I.P.), which specialize in hospitality, catering, and tourism. Porto
also hosts several professional and higher education schools which offer
courses in the tourism sector.
A broad range of incentives and business support measures are available for Tourism & hospitality companies in Porto. Use our Incentives guide tool to learn more.
You can also contact us directly to receive tailored support for your project.
