The concentration of AL in certain neighbourhoods of Lisbon and Porto has attracted more businesses focused on tourism and, while the other hand, has led to the closure of unproductive companies, which were unable to withstand the rise in rents. This is a conclusion from the recent study "The economic footprint of short-term rental on local business: Evidence from Portugal".

In the case of Lisbon – where there are currently 19,000 AL registrations – the largest entry of companies focused on tourism was felt in the parishes of Avenidas Novas, Santo António, Santa Maria Maior and Arroios. And in Porto – today with 10,000 AL establishments – there was greater growth in businesses aimed at tourists in the historic centre. “These parishes are precisely somewhere there are a greater number of AL”, concludes economist Francisco Nobre, one of the authors of the study, cited by Público.

Among the tourism-oriented companies that have entered the market, restaurants and bars are the ones that stand out the most. And among the main “survivors” are small retailers in the food sector. As for activities which are more aimed at residents, there was a “significant increase in property buying and selling, construction and consultancy companies”.

The same study also showed that the balance is positive, as the number of new companies is six times higher than the total number of closures, even though a greater delimitation is created between tourist areas and residential areas.