The Portuguese and the Brits were responsible for some good figures last December in a last month boost to the region’s economy.
Revenues from hotels and tourist developments in the Algarve increased 6.6% in December, the month in which the overall average occupancy rate was 29.0%, some 6.6% more than in 2013.
According to the normally gloomy Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve, visitors arriving in the Algarve from within Portugal grew 15.5% and the stalwart British were up 10.1% as the grey, cold and often snowy UK weather made even a seemingly chilly Algarve a safer bet.
The most popular areas in terms of increased volume were way out west in the Lagos-Sagres zone with Tavira and Vilamoura-Quarteira -Quinta do Lago all showing good increases.
The Monte Gordo - VRSA area had the highest room occupancy rate at 48.4% with the lowest in Lagos-Sagres 19.3%.
Four and five star hotels were those with the largest increases in occupation often at the cost of bargain low holiday rates to get rooms filled.
