Number of tourist stays low for 10 consecutive months in the Azores

“ ANDin July, in all tourist accommodation establishments (hotels, local accommodation and tourism in rural areas) of the Azores there were 648.8 thousand nights, a figure lower than 2.2% in the same month”, reads in the Tourist Activity report of the SREA.

This is the tenth consecutive decrease in the number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation in the region, according to the preliminary results of July of the SREA.

In the first seven months of the year, the Azores totaled 2.5 million nights in tourist accommodation (-3.7%) and 757.6 thousand guests (-3.5%).

In July, the region counted 177.3 thousand guests (less than 4%), with an average stay of 3.66 nights (plus 1.9%).

The annual reduction in sleep in the archipelago follows a trend contrary to that observed at the national level, as the country grew, on average, 2.1% in July and 1.5% in the period between January and July, according to the SREA report.

Of the more than 648 thousand nights registered in July in the Azores, 83.2% were foreign tourists, which totaled 539.7 thousand sleeps, although with an annual decrease of 0.9%.

The national market represented only 16.8%, with 109.1 thousand sleeps and a fall of 7.8% from July 2025.

Among the external markets, the United States was the largest issuing market, in July, with 82,000 sleeps (15.2% of sleeps of foreign residents), with an annual increase of 2.8%.

Secondly, with 81.5 thousand sleeps (15.1%), Germany and thirdly Spain, with 60.3 thousand sleeps (11.2%).

The Spanish market was the largest decline (-24 %), followed by Italy (23.1%) and the United Kingdom (14.2%).

The German market stood out as one of the highest rises, with 12.4%, surpassed only by Canada (69.2%) and Israel (44.6%).

With 316.2 thousand sleeps, the local accommodation concentrated 48.7% of the tourist stays in the archipelago in July, surpassing the hospitality, which accounted for 299,6,000 sleeps (46.2%). Tourism in rural areas remained at 33,000 nights (5.1%).

For the third month in a row, the hotel was the only typology to show an annual growth of sleeping in the Azores (1.1%).

To the contrary, tourism in rural areas has fallen by 7.1% and local accommodation by 4.5%.

Considering only hospitality and local accommodation, which concentrated 94.9% of the nights in July, only the islands of Pico and Faial contradicted the regional trend, with homologous growths of 4.5 and 3.4%, respectively.

The island of Corvo was the one with the highest descent (-28.3%), this month, followed by the Graciosa (-10.8%) and Santa Maria ( 8.7%).

In Flores the break was 4%, in São Miguel 3%, in São Jorge 2.2% and in the Third 0.4%.

The island of São Miguel, the largest in the archipelago, counted this month 403.5 thousand sleeps, concentrating 65.5% of the total.

Secondly, there is Terceira Island, with 78.4 thousand sleeps (12.7%), followed by Pico, with 50.1 thousand sleeps (8.1%) and Faial, with 40.1 thousand sleeps (6.5%).

The national market stood out with greater weight in sleeping on the island Graciosa (69.9%).

Among the external markets, the North American was the one with the highest weight in São Miguel (14.5%), Terceira (13.1%) and Graciosa (7.3%), while the German stood out in the islands of Pico (19.4%), Flores (18.2%), Faial (17.9%), São Jorge (14.8%), Corvo (12.9%) and Santa Maria (9.8%).

In the hotel business, the net occupancy rate per bed in July reached 71.6% (less than 0.9 percentage points), but total income rose by 6.1% to 33.7 million euros.

Tourism in rural areas showed a net occupancy rate per bed of 53.8% (less than 4.1 percentage points) and total income decreased by 2.5%, reaching 3.8 million euros.

In the local accommodation, no income data are presented, but the gross occupancy rate per bed was 47.9% (less than 2.7 percentage points).

According to the report, 11% of active local accommodation establishments reported that they did not move guests in July (more 0.9 percentage points than in the homologous period).