"According to the survey that the Portuguese Hotel Association carried out with its members, in the case of the Azores we estimate, for Christmas week, an occupancy rate of around 40% and, for the end of year week, a slightly higher rate, around 60%", said the delegate in the Azores of the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP), Andreia Pavão, speaking to Lusa agency.

According to the person responsible, it is estimated that the numbers for this festive period are "more or less in line" with what happened in 2023.

In relation to the main markets at this time of year, they are the national market, the United States of America and Canada and "some German, Spanish and French markets", she further detailed.

Andreia Pavão explained that Christmas and New Year's Eve are always "weaker" periods for the hotel industry in the archipelago, although there is always "a peak in occupancy" on New Year's Eve.

"But, in winter, in terms of seasonality, we have been in line with last year and we are not registering growth", the AHP delegate in the Azores told Lusa, explaining that "historically December and January" have been the months in which that there is "less demand" in the archipelago's hotels.

On the other hand, Andreia Pavão found that "there was no compensation for the drop in flights that occurred at the end of 2023", with the reduction of flights by the low-cost airline Ryanair to the Azores.

Asked about the investment in entertainment programs for this festive season, the delegate in the Azores of the Portuguese Hotel Association maintained that these plans have been "very targeted" towards the domestic market and that they have "a sympathetic effect" on residents.

However, "there is no proactive stance" that allows the promotion of the destination with operators "with due notice", she pointed out.

"We have not been promoted as a destination for Christmas markets or an end-of-year destination. The Azores' destination is not promoted in that sense. We do not have much demand as a strong destination for this time of year compared to our competitors", she added.

Andreia Pavão said that "traditional hotels" still overlap in the number of nights, although "local accommodation represents more than 50% of the number of beds available", taking into account recent statistics from the Regional Statistics Service (SREA).