Data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) show that momentum on international routes boosted the total volume of travel by the Portuguese to 5.6 million, representing an overall increase of 7%.

Outbound travel alone accounted for 58.5% of the total increase recorded in the first three months of the year, doubling the growth rate observed in the final quarter of 2025.

Conversely, domestic tourism showed a more moderate pace of growth.

Travel within national territory

Although travel within national territory continued to represent the overwhelming majority of residents’ choices, totalling 4.6 million trips and 83.4% of the total, growth in the sector stood at 3.4%, signalling a slowdown compared to the previous quarter’s performance.

Every month, the INE notes that Portuguese participation in tourism-related travel rose steadily throughout the period, peaking in March, when 21.4% of the resident population took at least one trip.

Regarding travel motivations, visiting family and friends remained the primary overall reason for travel, accounting for 2.4 million trips (43.7% of the total) and leading significantly in the domestic market.

Cross-border travel

For cross-border travel, however, leisure, recreation, and holidays were the main drivers, accounting for 58.9% of trips abroad. In contrast, professional or business travel was the only category to record a decline, falling 13.5% year-on-year to 560,100 trips.

The INE report also details traveller preferences regarding planning and accommodation. Booking was involved in 39.4% of trips, reaching a near-total 95.4% for travel abroad, where the internet was the predominant booking channel in over 70% of cases.

Regarding accommodation, free private lodging accounted for 58.6% of total overnight stays, while traditional hotels represented 30.3% of the market, serving as the preferred choice for both business and holiday travel. Finally, the average length of stay saw a slight increase to 2.77 nights, driven by March, which recorded the longest average stay of the quarter.