According to data obtained by Público from the National Local Accommodation Registry (RNAL), managed by Turismo de Portugal, there were 124,700 local accommodation units registered as of August 20, of which 117,288 were controlled by owners of Portuguese origin. "In other words, more than 94% of the sector is controlled by nationals," the publication states, highlighting that the remaining registrations include owners from 101 different countries.
Among foreigners, the British lead in the number of registrations, with 1,762, followed by the French (1,298) and Germans (710). North Americans account for 455 units, confirming their position as the fifth largest group of foreign owners. This increase coincides with the growing presence of North Americans in Portugal, which in 2024 already totalled 20,959 residents, almost 50% more than the previous year.
The geographic distribution of local accommodation also reveals differences between Portuguese and foreign residents. Faro and Lisbon remain the preferred districts, but while the Portuguese have registrations spread throughout the country, foreigners are mainly concentrated in the Algarve. In the case of British and German residents, more than 70% of the units are in that region, and French and North Americans account for over 50%.
Another relevant fact concerns property ownership. In the case of foreigners, most of the owners also own the properties they operate, unlike the Portuguese, whose ownership often does not coincide with the property itself. Only about 59% of the units registered by Portuguese residents are actually owned by the person listed as the owner.
This phenomenon reflects a growing trend toward internationalisation in the sector, aligned with the increase in foreign tourism. As Público reports, North American tourists, for example, now constitute the third largest source market for Portugal, with over 1.3 million visitors in July and approximately three million overnight stays.
I guess if the author titled the piece:
"Americans own 1/3 of 1% of AL units" it probably would not have the knee jerk reaction the author was looking for.
By j from Algarve on 05 Sep 2025, 10:06
50% increase in American residents in one year is a knee jerker!
By Alan Weed from Porto on 07 Sep 2025, 15:09
It would be helpful if Portugal News would do some better research. It's highly unlikely that 50% of the US residents arrived in one year. Much more likely, they arrived over several years and only recently has SEF/IRN/AIMA etc. finally started to catch up on the residency process -- which still remains mired in delays and bureaucracy. It's unlikely AIMA actually knows how many foreigners reside in Portugal at any time.
As for property ownership, this was never factually driven. It's just perception across the western world. Not reality but political noise -- so in that regard, the article got that part partially correct. As others have commented, the numbers show that only a tiny percentage of the rental or AL ownership are North American citizens. Portugal could ban property purchases or rentals by North Americans tomorrow but it won't drive down costs for the Portuguese (except for a few small heavily tourist dependent neighborhoods). Even in those places, I can't see the owners suddenly dropping rents by enough to help the problem for citizens.
By Rob de Santos from Algarve on 26 Sep 2025, 12:48
"50% increase in American residents in one year is a knee jerker!"
Really 50% of what?
I would like to see 50% more fines for soccer team chanting at 3AM.
50% more arrests for public urination.
50% less Hen and Stag parties.
50% increase in drug arrests.
50% less chatroom buzz on where you can find the cheapest pint.
50% increase in trash collection.
These would increase the quality of your life.
50% of 1% is alarming.....really?
By j from Algarve on 12 Oct 2025, 10:15