Most local accommodation units continue to be individual owners, but there are more and more companies entering the sector, especially in Porto and Lisbon.
The local accommodation sector (AL) in Portugal remains mainly in the hands of small Portuguese nationality owners, but the latest data reveal significant differences between regions. In Lisbon and Porto, the presence of companies as holders and owners Of the units is more expressive, contrasting with the predominance of individuals in the Algarve.
According to the National Registry of Local Accommodation (RNAL), managed by Turismo de Portugal, there were 124 700 units of AL registered throughout the country. Of these, 13 828 – about 11% – They belong to companies. However, the actual number may be higher, as the data do not allow to identify when a private holder registers properties that actually belong to societies.
In the district of Lisbon, companies have 3304 of the 25 966 units registered, the equivalent of 12.7%. In the municipality of the capital, the proportion is even higher, close to 14%. In Porto, the business weight exceeds 14% in the district and reaches more than 15% in the city. Already in the Algarve, the main tourist destination of the country, the percentage is less than average: 9.4%, or one in 11 records, the.
Despite the growing relevance of societies, the sector remains marked by the dispersion of small holders. Rnal data reveal that there are more than 100 owners with At least ten units in your nameespecially concentrated in Lisbon, Porto and Faro. In total, 139 companies control 2762 accommodation, of which more than 80% are in these three districts.
Among the largest owners, we highlight Algarve Interjumbria-Tourist Developments, with 141 units, founded by the family of José Humbria Correia, historical figure of the region’s hotel shop. This is followed by the Lindalgarve Construction Society, also in the Algarve, with 108 properties. In Lisbon, the leadership belongs to Morgan-Jupiter II, detained by a Hong Kong entrepreneur and owner of 31 units, while in Porto the largest business presence is cross-deed, with real estate promotion activity.
