Imovirtual reports spike in interest from British tourists seeking a summer holiday in Portugal this year

Portugal has reported a spike interest from British tourists seeking a holiday away in the country this summer, as it is currently considered to be one of the “safest countries in Europe” amid the pandemic, as reported.

ACCORDING to property portal Imovirtual (www.imovirtual.com) internet traffic increased by 38% for holiday accommodation searches between May 13-19 compared to the same period the month before. Approximately 34% of traffic searching for holiday accommodation was from the UK, confirmed the property portal. Visitors were mainly searching for holiday rental properties in Lisbon, Faro, Porto and Braga. According to Imovirtual, most of these destinations have registered declines in rental prices, “making them affordable destinations to visit” as well as “relocate to”.

The surge in traffic coincides with news from airlines, such as Ryanair and WizzAir, announcing that they will resume flights to and from Portugal this summer. WizzAir expects to resume flights to and from the country from June, while Ryanair is planning to resume flights from July.

According to Joao Fernandez, Head of the Algarve Regional Tourism Board, international tourism will resume as of mid June; with visitors from both inside Portugal and internationally, seeking a holiday in the country once restrictions are lifted across Portugal’s most popular tourist hot spots. Portugal’s beaches are expected to open in just a few days (in June) with health and safety restrictions in place to ensure that tourists are protected from the risk of Covid-19 contagion.