The Hospitality Association of Portugal reports today that the occupancy per room in Portugal's hotels increased to 73.14% in May this year, up 4.96% from the same month of 2013.
According to Tourism Monitor data the total revenue per available room across the country was €78.78 in May, an increase of 20.51% over the same period last year.
The association report indicated that the destinations experiencing the greatest increase were the West region (+19.35%), Estoril and Sintra (+10.48%) and the Costa Azul (+9.76%).
"However, we can not fail to mention that, despite this growth, the average price per occupied room was still very low and falls short of the desired result," commented Cristina Siza Vieira, president of the AHP board, who noted also that the average length of stay was well down on the year before.
“From January to May almost 50% of the rooms in Portugal’s hotels were empty," added Vieira.
The good results obtained in May largely were due to events, especially in Lisbon. "May is, in itself, a strong month for hospitality and tourism in Lisbon. This year we had a bonus with the Champions League and Rock in Rio,” said Viera.
