The President of the Regional Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, was present yesterday at the opening of this year’s edition of the Lisbon Tourism Exchange (BTL), which has the Azores as a guest national destination, recalling the progress already made and the mission to consolidate the destination in terms of sustainability by 2024.
“We’re already seeing the results of the work we’ve done, and 2024 is also a starting point for consolidating the Azores as a sustainable tourist destination,” he said, speaking at the event’s opening.
“It’s good to live in the Azores and it’s good to visit the Azores. This is our great motto, and it’s well expressed here at BTL,” continued José Manuel Bolieiro.
For the President of the Government of the Azores, the “identity” of the Azores is a “differentiating and unique reference” for those looking for new tourist experiences.
BTL is attended by the region’s 19 municipalities and dozens of Azorean companies, which were visited by the President of the Government on the first day of the event.
It should be remembered that in 2023, the Azores broke all records in the tourism sector, with tourist accommodation registering around 3.8 million overnight stays and 1.2 million guests.
The latest figures released by the Regional Statistics Service (SREA) indicate that last year, “the total number of overnight stays was 3.8 million, representing an increase of 15.1% on the previous year. The total number of guests was 1.2 million, 14.8% more than in 2022. This year, the average stay was 3.18 days”.
According to the SREA, these are the highest figures since records began (2001).
It should also be noted that a record 157.8 million euros in revenue was generated in hotel establishments, marking 2023 as the first year to surpass 150 million euros in total revenue for hotels in the Azores.
Last year was not only a record-breaking year for Azorean tourism, but also the year in which the region received some of the most important awards in the sector – starting with the “Best Adventure Tourism Destination in the World”, awarded by the World Travel Awards.


The Azores are the first archipelagic region in the world to be certified as a “Sustainable Tourism Destination.” In 2023, they secured “Silver Level IV,” which reinforces their leadership in terms of tourism sustainability, to reach “Gold Level” in 2024.
This evolution in certification comes about “because the Region has responded to the criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, an international accreditation body for sustainable tourism certification.”
The prestigious National Geographic also highlighted the Azores in the “Nature” category, revealing that it is a “land born of fire, but now shrouded in green”, stressing that “the Azores are working to guarantee their future”. This magazine highlighted the Azores as one of the destinations of choice for 2023 at the end of 2022.
Alongside these achievements, the “Rotas Açores – Itinerários Culturais e Paisagísticos” project won the National Tourism Award in the “Authentic Tourism” category, an initiative of Expresso and BPI. At the same time, Madalena do Pico was distinguished as one of the “Best Tourism Villages” by the World Tourism Organization.
In 2024, the Autonomous Region of the Azores renewed its Quality Coast award, an international prize awarded by Green Destinations that distinguishes coastal environmental quality for sustainable tourism.
The region’s tourism performance and the various international awards and prizes demonstrate the positive evolution of tourism in the Azores, the high levels of quality offered in the destination, and the global recognition that the region has achieved in one of the most competitive sectors of the world economy.

in Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno–PBBI thanks the sponsorship of the Luso-American Development Foundation from Lisbon, Portugal (FLAD)