In a presentation on the results of a survey assessing the Easter season of 2026 and anticipating the summer of 2026, the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP) reported that its members are less confident than they were in 2025.
Cristina Siza Vieira, executive vice-president of the AHP, said the domestic market dropped to 68%, down 10 points from 2025, while Spain and the USA also fell.
The AHP noted that hoteliers’ average confidence in national tourism for 2026 dropped to 6.8 (from 7.4 in January, on a scale of 1 to 10). The decrease spans all regions except the West and Tagus Valley, and is most pronounced in the Azores (from 7.1 to 6) and the Central region.
According to Cristina Siza Vieira, compared to January 2026, there is “greater pessimism” in national tourism and a “clear slowdown in the level of confidence for the summer of 2026, due to geopolitical instability.”
The association leader warned that the survey closed on 17 May and that, given the volatile context, hoteliers’ sentiment may have already changed.
When questioned about the possibility of price reductions in Portugal, given reports of a similar trend in Spain, Cristina Siza Vieira said it is still “very uncertain.”
Overall, hoteliers’ outlook is decisively pessimistic, anticipating a clear downturn in the summer of 2026 compared to 2025, she concluded.
Regarding the Easter balance sheet, the survey results raise a “warning” for Greater Lisbon, the vice-president of the AHP (Portuguese Hotel Association) highlighted.
According to the association, there are “signs of pressure” in this region, where RevPAR (revenue per available room) remained stable only by sacrificing average price (down 6%).
During the Easter weekend, between April 3rd and 5th, “the national hotel industry recorded an average occupancy rate of 77%, two percentage points above the 75% recorded in 2025, but the average price fell to €143, two euros less than the same period last year. Nationally, RevPAR in the hotel industry stood at €110, one euro more than in the comparative period,” said the AHP.
