During the CNN Summit, held on the first day of BTL – Better Tourism Lisbon Travel Market 2025, José Luís Arnaut, president of the Lisbon Tourism Association (ATL), made a point of remembering the importance that tourism has for the city of Lisbon, saying that the “direct GDP of Tourism in Lisbon is 13% and 37% indirect”, admitting, contrary to what Carlos Moedas, president of the Lisbon City Council, said, that Tourism “is not a problem for the city of Lisbon”.

Therefore, he stressed, “acceptance of tourism is fundamental, because it is essential for the economy”, considering, however, that “without regulation, we are heading for disaster”.

Regarding the tourist flow that the city of Lisbon receives, Arnaut said that “they arrive by air”, highlighting the US market and the increase in flights from the other side of the Atlantic to the Portuguese capital.

Referring to the work previously carried out by TAP with the North American market, José Luís Arnaut stressed that “it will be a market with great demand, despite the political instability and volatility experienced by the country”. Furthermore, he explained that “this growth in the US market is “fundamental to boosting TAP’s growth and the growth of tourism in Portugal”.

Still arguing that tourist taxes are “necessary”, José Luís Arnaut also considered that “no tourist has ever stopped coming to Lisbon because of the tourist tax”.

The president of ATL also admitted that “low-cost [companies] are important, but Lisbon cannot be a low-cost city”. He justified this idea with the amounts that tourists spend, on average, in Lisbon, 316 euros per day, compared to 309 euros at a national level.