Sleeping in tourist accommodation in the Azores lower for a year

Os Azores again registered an annual decline (3.5%) in the number of nights in tourist accommodation in September, which occurred a year ago, according to data revealed today by the Regional Statistical Office (SREA).

“ In September, in all tourist accommodation establishments (hotels, local accommodation and tourism in rural areas) in the Azores there were 516.4 thousand nights, a figure lower than 3.5% in the same month”, reads in the SREA Tourist Activity report.

For 12 consecutive months the number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation in the low region compared to the same period.

The numbers of 2025 are already definitive, while the results from January to August are provisional and the preliminary September ones, according to the SREA report.

In the first nine months of the year, the Azores totaled 3.7 million overnight stays in tourist accommodation (-2.7%) and 1.1 million guests (3.2%).

In September, the region counted 149.4 thousand guests (-4.4%), with an average stay of 3.46 nights (+1%).

The annual reduction in sleep in the archipelago follows a trend contrary to that observed at national level, as the country grew, on average, 2% in September and 1.5% in the period between January and September, according to the SREA report.

Of the more than 516 thousand nights registered in September in the Azores, 78.8% were foreign tourists, which totaled 406.8 thousand nights, although with an annual decrease of 0.3%.

The national market accounted for only 21.2%, with 109.6 thousand sleeps, and fell more sharply (13.5%) compared to September 2025.

Among the external markets, Germany was the largest issuing market, this month, with 76,5 thousand sleeps (18.8% of the sleeps of foreign residents), despite having suffered a drop of 2.5%.

Secondly, with 71.7 thousand sleeps (17.6%), the United States of America (USA) appears, followed by Spain, with 46.5 thousand sleeps (11.4%).

The Spanish market was, however, one of the most marked declines compared to the homologous period (-21.1%), surpassed only by Brazil (-49.5%). The United Kingdom also showed a significant decrease (-16.6%).

In the opposite direction, Israel's markets (57.5%) Canada (25.9%), the United States (15.3%) and the Netherlands (14.6%) were the ones that grew the most.

With 260 thousand sleeps, the hotel centre concentrated half (50.3%) of tourist stays in the archipelago in September, while the local accommodation accounted for 230.2 thousand sleeps (44.6%) and tourism in rural areas 26.2 thousand sleeps (5.1%).

Tourism in the rural area was the typology with the most pronounced decline (8.5%), followed by local accommodation (6.1%) and hospitality (0.4%).

Considering only hospitality and local accommodation, which concentrated 94.9% of the nights in the region in September, only four of the nine islands in the Azores opposed the regional trend, with homologous growths.

Graciosa showed the highest rise (4.1%), followed by Pico (4%), Faial (2.6%) and Flores (1.9%).

The island of Corvo, the smallest of the archipelago, was the one with the largest break (-18.5%), but there were also falls in Santa Maria (-5.2%), São Miguel (-4.7%), São Jorge (-3.6%) and Terceira (-2.4%).

With 326.4 thousand sleeps, the island of São Miguel, the largest in the archipelago, concentrated two thirds (66.6%) of the accommodation and accommodation in the region in September, followed by the Terceira islands, with 60.4 thousand sleeps (12.3%), Pico, with 37.3 thousand sleeps (7.6%), and Faial, with 30.8 thousand sleeps (6.3%).

The national market stood out with greater weight in sleeping only in the Graciosa (69.2%) and Corvo (51.2%) islands.

Among the external markets, German was the most important in the islands of the Pico islands (25.8%), Faial (19.4%), Flores (19.1%), São Jorge (17.8%), Corvo (12.5%), Santa Maria (12.1%) and Graciosa (6.7%).

On the islands of São Miguel (15.6%) and Terceira (13.8%) the North American market stood out.

In the hotel business, the net occupancy rate per bed in September reached 64.5%, minus 1.8 percentage points, but total income rose 4% to 27.9 million euros.

On the other hand, tourism in rural areas had a net occupancy rate per bed of 45.4% (less than 2.7 percentage points) and total income decreased by 2.8%, reaching 3 million euros.

In the local accommodation, no income data are presented, but the gross occupancy rate per bed was 37.8% (less than 2.5 percentage points).

According to the report, 16.7% of active local accommodation establishments reported that they did not move guests in September (more 1.8 percentage points than in the homologous period).