The Algarve region, a pulsating heart of Portuguese tourism, faces a darker February in 2025, with the average hotel occupation per room in units to fall to 48.8%, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points compared to the same month of 2024.
The provisional data of the Algarve Hotel and Tour Enterprises Association (AHETA), released Thursday, launch a warning about the challenges that the region faces out of high season, at a time when the sector struggles to maintain the brightness that characterizes it.
A fall that worries
The occupancy rate per fourth was 44.8%, reflecting a 4.1%break from February 2024. Nevertheless, there is a slight consolation when looking back: compared to 2019-the last year with a carnival in 2025-like dates-the occupation rose 1.5 percentage points, an increase of 3.6%. Still, these numbers do not hide the reality of a less vibrant winter for Algarve tourism, in a region that strongly depends on seasonality.
Featured markets and an absence felt
The Spanish and German markets were the saviors of the month, with impressive climbs of 20% and 6%, respectively, compared to 2024. These nationalities brought some breath to the hotel units, but the domestic market took a step back, with a sharp drop of 20% in demand. “It’s a worrying sign. The Portuguese are choosing less for the Algarve in winter, ”laments a local hotelier, who preferred anonymity. This retraction of domestic tourism is a blow to a region in a region that has always had national visitors to balance the accounts in the colder months.
Shorter stays
The middle stay also shrunk, settling at 3.9 nights, less 0.4 nights than in 2024. The Dutch stood out as the most faithful, with an average of 8.8 nights, followed by Canadians, with 5.9 nights. These numbers show that although some tourists choose prolonged stays, the general trend is brief visits, which reduces the economic impact on the Algarve.
A look at the future
It underlines that the data reflects only the units in operation, in a context where many establishments close doors in winter. For the Algarve, this descent in the occupation is more than a number – it is an appeal to resilience. “We have to reinvent winter Algarve, attract more visitors all year round,” argues a representative of the association, pointing to the need to diversify the tourist offer beyond the sun and beach.
With the 2025 Carnival already past, the Algarve now looks at spring with hope, but also with the awareness that the challenges of seasonality continue to weigh. The region, so used to welcoming crowds in summer, now seeks ways to warm the hearts of tourists – and the local economy – in the colder months.
Also read:
