Portugal ended 2025 with a review of tourism activity that goes beyond mere figures. Throughout the year, the sector demonstrated strategic capability, creativity, environmental commitment and social responsibility – pillars that underpin an increasingly mature and distinctive model of tourism development – to which a strong boost to investment is added. Portuguese tourism has grown with purpose, and 2025 was a year of strategic affirmation, international recognition and sustainable consolidation.
January marked a strengthened presence at FITUR in Madrid
With the largest delegation ever, in a clear affirmation of business and regional capacity in the Latin American market. At the same time, Turismo de Portugal launched the international campaign “Portugal is Art”, highlighting the country’s national creativity and cultural diversity. The Portuguese Tourism Confederation presented the “I Count on Tourism” campaign, promoting the importance of tourism for the country and highlighting the benefits of this activity for the community. Domestically, the collection of contributions for the Tourism Strategy 2035 moved forward, whilst the UN World Tourism Barometer placed Portugal in a favourable global context. The Michelin Guide Portugal 2025 ceremony reaffirmed Portuguese gastronomy as a tourist asset of excellence.
February is dedicated to skills developmentPortugal’s tourism schools were present at Qualifica and Futurália, and their students took part in European initiatives that reinforce the international dimension of their training. The Integrar for Tourism Programme, promoted by Turismo de Portugal in partnership with the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum and the Portuguese Tourism Confederation, also got underway, with the first training initiatives aimed at the professional qualification and integration of migrants in the sector. A tourism cooperation agreement was also signed with Brazil, a strategic market that is culturally close and has significant growth potential, and the ‘Growing with Tourism’ Support Programme was launched with a view to promoting the sustainable development of regions, focusing on social and environmental responsibility, as well as on investing in skills, innovation and the enhancement of tourism resources, reinforcing the role of tourism as a driver of social cohesion and economic growth.
March has established itself as a month of trade fairs and culinary recognition
Participation in the Lisbon Travel Market and ITB Berlin strengthened engagement with key markets, whilst the spotlight at Madrid Fusión and the awarding of a further eight Michelin stars cemented Portugal’s reputation as a leading culinary destination. In the same month, Portuguese equestrian art was inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a recognition of great symbolic and tourism value. Also in March, the Accessible Festivals Programme was renewed, an initiative by Turismo de Portugal in partnership with the National Institute for Rehabilitation, reinforcing the commitment to inclusion at major cultural events and promoting accessibility, comfort and autonomy for all audiences.
April puts the country on the map in Asia
With preparations underway for participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, promoting Portugal in a market of high strategic potential. Tourism Schools opened applications for 2025/26, received the Healthy School Seal and organised Open Week, opening their doors to local communities. The Visit Portugal Literary Club was also launched, an initiative that celebrates literature as an expression of Portuguese culture, expanding its promotion and diversifying the reasons for visiting the destination.
May brings connectivity and cultural diplomacy
The award presented at Routes Europe 2025 recognised the work carried out to attract new air routes, a key factor in the destination’s competitiveness. Portugal was the guest country at the Prague Book Fair, reinforcing culture as a tool for international promotion. The campaign dedicated to music festivals, “Portugal Music Festivals Headliners”, and the business mission to Cape Verde rounded off a month of significant international reach.
June highlights institutional confidence
Portugal was elected to the Agenda for Europe working group and re-elected to the Tourism Online Education Committee at the 71st Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Europe, taking on an active role in the multilateral arena. The destination stood out in the ICCA rankings, strengthening the congresses and events segment, and made its presence felt at the Dalkey Book Festival and the New York Festivals, where it received awards. The recognition of national creativity is the most evident result of a consistent and sustained strategy. As part of Expo Osaka 2025, and to mark Portugal Day, Turismo de Portugal presented a programme to promote the destination based on Portuguese culture, incorporating initiatives dedicated to art, music, literature and gastronomy. The initiative also included the launch of a digital campaign in the Japanese market, featuring “Umi”, Portugal’s mascot for the World Expo, created by Turismo de Portugal, which served to boost the country’s visibility in that strategic market.
July focuses on intelligence and talentThe new TravelBI has been launched with enhanced features, establishing itself as a more robust and decision-oriented analytical platform. The Meeting of the Regional Observatory Network, as part of Destination Watch, reinforced the practice of systematically monitoring regional tourism indicators, consolidating a management approach based on data and evidence. Meanwhile, the GERA-t Programme recognised young talent, bringing tourism closer to secondary education. Turismo de Portugal also hosted a delegation of counterpart organisations from Italy, deepening international institutional cooperation.
August confirms the sector’s stability
Data from the 2024 Tourism Satellite Account highlighted the sector’s structural dynamism, against a backdrop of growing debate regarding its scale and impact. Turismo de Portugal was a finalist at the Hospitality Education Awards 2025, and Casa Portugal attended FLIP in Brazil, promoting Portuguese cuisine and culture. It was also announced that the Michelin Portugal Gala would take place in Madeira in 2026 and in the Centre in 2027, reinforcing the decentralisation and promotion of the region.
September combines climate action with preparations for the low season
The monitoring of environmental indicators and the implementation of funded projects reflect a growing operational maturity. On World Tourism Day, the results for 2024 were presented, reaffirming the destination’s commitment to the transition towards a more responsible development model. At Portugal’s Tourism Schools, the new academic year began with a 10% increase in enrolment, reflecting the growing value placed on technical skills and generational renewal in the national tourism sector.
October highlights the regions
Loriga, Mértola and Vila Nogueira de Azeitão were named Best Tourism Villages 2025 as part of a UNWTO programme that values identity and authenticity. In terms of internationalisation, Turismo de Portugal organised a professional marketplace in Canada aimed at generating commercial contacts and new business opportunities. It was also this month that 178 trainees from the Integrar for Tourism Programme completed their training and received their diplomas, qualifying them to enter the national tourism labour market.
November has established itself as a month of global recognition
The hosting of Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon has cemented Portugal’s reputation as an innovative country. At the World Travel Awards, the country won 12 awards, including the titles of Europe’s Leading Destination 2025 and the World’s Leading Golf Destination 2025, highlighting its exceptional performance on the international stage. At the World Travel Market in London, the new Visit Portugal stand was unveiled and the business tourism campaign “Portugal Means Business” was launched. Astro-tourism gave rise to a new series of webinars featuring presentations by experts and examples of national and international best practice in this unique segment of the tourism industry, as a means of preserving local resources. Ten Luís Patrão Scholarships were also awarded – the second edition of this initiative supporting advanced training in tourism – and 787 companies were recognised as SME Excellence 2024, confirming the robustness of the business ecosystem. The travelling exhibition “Tourism is Made of People”, featuring 20 photographs staged by students from the 12 Tourism of Portugal schools and on display in various cities across the country, aims to highlight and give a face to the careers that underpin national tourism, raising its profile among the general public.
December brings the year to a close with two signs of the sector’s maturity
The VisitPortugal Travel Trade Marketplace China 2025 strengthened the sector’s presence in a strategic Asian market, consolidating the destination’s positioning within one of the world’s largest source markets. Turismo de Portugal recognised 248 companies committed to sustainable practices under the Empresas Turismo 360º Programme. At the same time, it partnered with Makro and CASA (Centre for Support to the Homeless) in Lisbon on a social support initiative that highlights the community responsibility of a sector whose vocation is rooted in hospitality.
The year 2025 saw Portuguese tourism grow without losing sight of its core purpose. Month by month, the sector combined international promotion with domestic capacity-building, cultural diplomacy with data-driven management, and global recognition with a focus on the most overlooked regions. From the inscription of equestrian art on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list to the graduation of the Integrar Programme’s trainees; from the Michelin stars that continue to multiply to the Portuguese villages awarded the title of Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO – the year charted a coherent course between excellence and inclusion. The approved funding, exceeding 200 million euros, and the drive for innovation through the FIT Programme reinforce that this was not a cycle of passive consolidation, but a deliberate investment in the future.
Portugal ends 2025 with a stronger presence in strategic markets, greater recognition in international forums and, above all, a greater awareness that tourism, to be sustainable, must also be responsible.
