The SME Excellence 2024 status (PME Excelência) was awarded to 787 tourism companies that stood out for their economic, financial and management performance. The awards ceremony took place at the Multiusos Pavilion in Guimarães, and there was a significant increase (over 50 per cent) in the number of companies in the sector that achieved this status in this edition.
As a whole, the 787 tourism companies honoured as SME Excellence represent 23,091 direct jobs and had a turnover of 1,780 million euros in 2023. With net assets of 1.754 billion euros, the tourism SMEs of Excellence have an average financial autonomy of 66.4 per cent and good levels of profitability. Tourism thus represents a share of more than 20 per cent of the Excellence universe, and is one of the sectors that has seen growth in all performance indicators.
The distribution of companies in the tourism sector reveals a marked predominance of catering and drinking establishments, which account for more than 66 per cent of the total, with accommodation in second place with 25 per cent. The remaining types - such as tourist entertainment (4%), vehicle rental and recreational and sporting goods (2%), travel agencies and tour operators (2%), and event organisation (1%) - complete the distribution. The Lisbon district accounts for 28.0 per cent, followed by Faro (18.0 per cent) and Porto (14.6 per cent). In total, these three districts account for more than 60 per cent of the companies awarded the SME Excellence 2024 status.
Turismo de Portugal aims to contribute to the consolidation and sustainability of companies in the sector, particularly SMEs, by stimulating an agile and proactive relationship between the public administration and the business community, reinforcing access to investment, training, markets and knowledge.
Created in partnership with IAPMEI and the main banks, PME Excelência is a business qualification statute, which aims to reward the merit of small and medium-sized companies with superior performance profiles and which aims to raise market awareness and provide easier access to financiers and credit solutions tailored to their investment strategies.
