According to the 72nd edition of the IPDT Tourism Barometer, the expectations of the panel, made up of professionals in management and administration roles in various areas of the tourism sector, are optimistic for 2025.

“Professionals in the sector point to sustained growth in the main indicators, but additionally highlight challenges that require strategic responses,” indicated the IPDT.

“Regarding the number of guests, 56% of respondents anticipate growth to between 30.1 and 33 million by 2025”, a figure higher than the 30 million in 2023, the year with which comparisons are made, given that the 2024 data is not yet finalised.

According to the IPDT barometer, “overnight stays also present a promising scenario, with 78% of participants projecting indicators between 75.1 and 81 million”, compared to the 77.2 million overnight stays recorded in 2023. As for revenues globally, “80% of IPDT barometer experts expect figures between 5.6 and 6.5 billion euros for this year”, compared to the 5.7 billion reached in 2023.

Regarding the factors that will have the most positive impact on the development of national tourism in 2025, the continuous improvement of supply and services was considered the most relevant, with 44% of responses.

This is followed by security and political and social stability, cited by 42% of IPDT respondents”, with infrastructure, accessibility and air mobility valued by 36% of respondents.

Human resources

The “shortage of qualified human resources stands out as the main challenge, mentioned by 51% of participants”, while “the increase in prices and inflation, mentioned by 40% of experts, represent another relevant obstacle”.

In turn, “the economic recession and the international situation, identified by 33% of the panel, and international conflicts and geopolitical instability, mentioned by 29% of respondents, highlight the impact of external factors on the sector’s performance”, according to the IPDT.

The panel also warned about “demystifying the perception of ‘overtourism’, which is beginning to gain visibility in some national destinations”, and that “the IPDT results show that 80% of respondents classify this issue as ‘important’” or 'very important', highlighting the need for coordinated and effective responses in the short term”.

For respondents, “combating misinformation, advocated by 58%, emerges as the main priority, implementing more transparent and accessible communication strategies that promote a more realistic and contextualized understanding of the sector’s impacts”.

The panel argues that “to strengthen Portugal’s competitiveness as a tourist destination” there are “two equally important actions”: “segmented tourism promotion and the consolidation of Portugal’s image as a destination of excellence, in addition to the diversification and requalification of the tourist offer, with a focus on sustainability - both cited by 19% of respondents”.

The members of the IPDT Tourism Barometer also pointed out the main trends for 2025, highlighting that “personalized and tailor-made travel appears as the main trend (63%), followed by the search for authentic cultural experiences in cities (60%)”.

The 72nd edition of the IPDT Tourism Barometer took place between October 4 and 18, 2024, gathering 45 valid responses from a panel of 175 professionals in management and administrative roles in various areas that make up the tourism sector, said the IPDT.