Portugal has seen a huge spike in visitor numbers ahead of the summer season, as Brits flying to the European country have increase drastically compared to last year
A European country loved by British tourists has seen a huge spike in visitors, ahead of the summer season.
Portugal’s airports have hit an all-time high in January 2025, welcoming around 4.2 million passengers — a 5.9 per cent increase from the same month in 2024, according to the Portugal National Institute of Statistics (INE). The number of commercial flights also increased, with 16,000 aircraft landing — a 1.6 per cent rise from the same period last year.
Most of the arrivals were from international destinations, accounting for 1.6 million travellers — a 7.6 per cent rise from the same period last year. European visitors made up 63.2 per cent of arrivals, whilst 11.1 per cent came from the Americas.
In regard to individual airports, Lisbon Airport handled 56.9 per cent of all passenger traffic, reaching 2.4 million — a 6.9 per cent increase from the same period last year. Porto Airport saw 949,600 passengers, which was a 2.1 per cent increase from the same period in 2024. Funchal Airport recorded 330,000 passengers, overtaking Faro as Portugal’s third busiest airport. Faro, which then fell to fourth place, had 309,900 passengers.
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The countries that made up the largest amount of visitors were France, Spain and the UK. France remained the top country for both departures and arrivals, with passenger numbers increasing by 6.5 per cent for incoming flights and 1.9 per cent for outgoing flights. Spain and then the UK followed, changing positions depending on origin or destination. Brazil and Germany ranked fourth and fifth.
Each day, it total, there was a daily average of 65,600 passengers disembarked — a 6.8 per cent increase from the same period last year. Overall, Portugal’s airports are off to a record-breaking start in 2025, showing strong demand for travel to the European country.
According to Statista, in 2023, the United Kingdom accounted for over 2.3 million visitors to Portugal, more than half selecting the Algarve as destination.
British tourists are known to love Portugal for its pleasant climate, affordable cost of living, and relaxed lifestyle. Portugal boasts a Mediterranean climate with warm, sunny summers and mild winters, a major draw for those seeking a change from the UK’s often unpredictable weather.
In addition, the country is generally more affordable than the UK, especially in areas such as the Algarve. In February, the Mirror reported that Greece and Portugal are poised for potentially substantial financial boosts as they streamline their golden visa schemes, attracting wealthy Brits seeking overseas residency.
The golden visa scheme offers non-European Union individuals an easy path to relocation in exchange for significant property or fund investments. While many European nations have shuttered their schemes due to concerns over housing, security, and local resident fairness, Spain plans to terminate its own by April 3, 2025.
However, Portugal and Greece have simplified the process for non-EU individuals to settle via investment, replacing the old paper system with a new digital platform. This change has led to a surge in demand, particularly from Brits and US citizens.
Portugal eliminated the option to invest in property, but continues to offer residency in return for fund investments. Portugal’s policy has been a resounding success, with the foreign population doubling to over one million since 2018 – accounting for a tenth of the total populace. The demand is so high that the digital platform will have to grapple with a backlog of between 45,000 and 50,000 applications.
