According to estimates from the National Statistics Institute (INE), the vast majority of trips take place within Portugal. Trips within Portugal accounted for 86.3% of the total, while those to foreign destinations represented 13.7%.

However, growth was more pronounced in trips abroad. The "growth trend observed in the last two quarters of 2024" continued in the first quarter, with an 18.5% year-on-year increase, according to the INE. Travel within Portugal increased by 15.6%.

In total, there were 4.5 million trips within the country and 710,500 trips abroad.

According to the INE (National Statistics Institute), "the main reasons for traveling in the first quarter of 2025 were 'visiting family or friends,' which accounted for 2.1 million trips (40.9% of the total, down 6.3 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2024), and 'leisure, recreation, or vacations,' which also motivated approximately 2.1 million trips by residents (40.8%, up 3.1 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2024)."

When traveling in these first months of the year, Portuguese residents sought to stay with family or friends.

According to the INE, "free private accommodation" was the main accommodation option, accounting for 64.7% of overnight stays (9.2 million). "Hotels and similar accommodations" accounted for 26.5% (3.8 million overnight stays).

"Visiting family or friends" was the main reason for travel in the first quarter of 2025, similar to the first three months of last year, generating 2.1 million trips, equivalent to 40.9% of the total.

Trips for "leisure, recreation, or vacations," which grew 25.4%, generated 2.1 million trips. Finally, trips for "professional or business" reasons increased 48%, totalling 647,400 trips.

While for trips within the country, "visiting family and friends" was the main reason for trips (44.4%, or 2 million), for trips abroad, the main reason was "leisure, recreation, or vacations" (59.1% of the total, 420,100 trips).

"The second main reason for domestic travel was 'leisure, recreation, or vacation' (37.9% of the total; 1.7 million trips). For trips abroad, the second main reason was 'professional or business', accounting for 19.6% of the total (139,600 trips)," states the INE statistical note.

The number of trips increased in every month of the first quarter, growing 36% in January, 15.9% in February, and 0.7% in March.

On average, when Portuguese tourists travel, they stay 2.75 nights. The figure for the first quarter was lower than the average for the first quarter of last year, when the average was 2.84 nights.

"The longest average stay was recorded in February," at 2.82 nights, and the lowest was in January, at 2.67 nights, according to INE data.

In the first three months of the year, "20.4% of residents made at least one tourist trip."

The proportion of residents who "made at least one trip decreased in March (-1.3 percentage points), but increased in January and February (+2.5 percentage points and +0.9 percentage points, respectively)," states the INE.

Regarding travel planning, statistical information collected by the INE reveals that the internet was used in 27.1% of cases. For trips abroad, it was used in 76.2% of cases, while for trips within Portugal, this occurred in only 19.4% of cases.