In a telephone interview with Lusa agency, less than a month before the Christmas season, the president of Turismo do Porto and Norte de Portugal (TPNP), Luís Pedro Martins, said that hotels in Porto and the North have a reservation rate for the Christmas and New Year’s Eve “above 70%”.

“Then, as the season approaches, they can reach higher values, as happened in the past, when at Christmas and New Year we reached over 80% in cities like Porto, Braga or Viana do Castelo. ”

According to Luís Pedro Martins, the markets that the region attracts most, namely the Spanish, French and German markets, but also long-distance markets, such as the American market, see Portugal as “a safe and peaceful country”.

“Perhaps the distance from [international] conflicts allows for this perception of security and, in truth, we have been somewhat side-lined by these conflicts”.

Contacted by Lusa, Bruna Ribeiro, assistant director of the Neya Porto Hotel, next to Porto Customs, said that today, the occupancy rate for Christmas is around 63.63% and for New Year's Eve occupancy rate is 88.9%.

Without specifying the booking rate, a source at The Yeatman Hotel, in Vila Nova de Gaia, in the Porto district, said that there is “high demand”, both in terms of accommodation and in terms of events for the festive seasons that are approaching.

“There is an increase in it compared to the previous year. Christmas and New Year's Eve events are in high demand, so the outlook for December 2024 is very good,” said a source at The Yeatman, noting that there is still some availability for accommodation and events and for bookings whether for Christmas or New Year's Eve.

At The Vintage House Hotel, in Pinhão, in the Vila Real district, an official source from that hotel unit says that they are registering “an early demand for Christmas and New Year’s Eve reservations, in line with last year”

“We have an optimistic forecast. Considering the existing demand, we also foresee a good month of December in 2024. In the case of Douro, advance booking for the festive season gains added importance, so that all services can be guaranteed at Christmas and New Year's Eve”, he added.