A last minute burst of activity from home-grown Portuguese tourists has filled the Algarve’s hotels this Easter weekend bringing relief to many businesses reliant on good Easter takings to kick off the season.
Hotel occupancy in the Algarve has grown by 4% over last year, mainly due to increased demand from Portuguese visitors who join the Spanish, British, German and Irish, according to an unusually buoyant Elidérico Viegas, President of the Association of Hotels and Resorts in the Algarve.
Some hotels are completely full and poorer performers still have 80% occupancy.
The strengthening in demand from the domestic market is "the new reality and for the first time is contributing to a sustained increase" of hotel occupancy at this time of year, according to Viegas.
The poor weather is set to continue at least until tonight with thunder and heavy rains in many parts of the Algarve and Alentejo with the added likelihood of hail.
The National Authority for Civil Protection has issued a statement warning only of heavy intermittent rain at level ‘Blue,’ the lowest of four alert levels.
Meanwhle the GNR’s national ‘Operation Easter 2014’ has recorded 482 accidents with one fatality, 17 seriously injured and 164 minor injuries up to Sunday afternoon.
Last year over the Easter break police dealt with 803 accidents which left eight people dead, nine serious injured and 263 with slight injuries.
The trend this year seems to be a good one but the GNR says it is too early for comparisons and point to the worsening Sunday weather and the inevitable increase in traffic as people return home, well refreshed from family visits.
