LISBON: Turnover in Portugal’s tourism sector increased by 6% last year from 2014, according to a study released by the Bank of Portugal on Wednesday that also notes a 2.4% increase in the number of active companies in the sector.
The report, Analysis of the Tourism Sector 2011-2016, which updates a previous study with information on the years from 2011 to 2014, shows that over the period, the sector’s weight in the economy has increased by 0.7 percentage points, both in number of companies and in turnover, as well as the number of people working in it. In 2015, it found, 13% of all Portugal’s companies were in tourism, at 53,000, employed 10% of workers and generated 6% of all business turnover.
Lodging and restaurants was the largest single segment, with 72% of companies in the sector, 43% of turnover and 75% of workers. Transport and logistics accounted for 41% of sector turnover, but just 16% of companies and workers in the sector, while recreational and cultural activities accounted for 16% of turnover, 12% of companies and 9% of workers. Exports by the sector accounted for 36% of its turnover – a similar proportion to Portugal’s companies in general, and 3 percentage points up from the 2011 level.
