Britons lead spending, but average tourist spend in Portugal falls

Published on 10/08/2026 - 18:32 GMT+2

Foreign tourists holidaying in Portugal are spending less and less money in the country. According to the latest data from Turismo de Portugal, based on statistics from SIBS and published by Jornal de Negócios (source in Portuguese), the average value of transactions has fallen to its lowest level since 2019.

The overall average spend per foreign transaction was 35.70 euros in the first half of 2026.

Even so, in the first six months of the year, the volume of purchases made with foreign cards grew by 6%, surpassing 3.7 billion euros.

Beyond accommodation, restaurants and shops continue to absorb a significant share of spending. The retail sector accounted for the largest share of foreign expenditure in the first half of the year, totalling approximately 1.4 billion euros. The restaurant sector recorded more than 1 billion euros, while accommodation establishments registered around 735 million euros in electronic payments.

More than half of the expenditure by foreigners remained concentrated in the Greater Lisbon (35.7%) and Algarve (21.6%) regions. Northern Portugal accounts for just 1.9% of tourists' purchases.

Among the main source markets, British tourists top the list, having carried out 16 million electronic transactions in the country, amounting to 518 million euros in spending.

Tourists from the United States rank second among the biggest foreign spenders. However, the total volume of expenditure associated with the North American market stood at 2.4 million euros, considerably below the amount generated by British visitors.

Even so, they display different consumption patterns. Although British visitors make more purchases, North Americans are among those who spend the most per tourist, with an average of 45 euros per transaction.