The Azores recorded more than 383,000 overnight stays in tourist accommodations in April, a 15.1% increase compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the Regional Statistics Service (SREA).
“In April, tourist accommodation establishments (hotels, local accommodation, and rural tourism) in the Azores recorded 383,300 overnight stays, 15.1% more than in the same month last year,” reads the SREA’s Tourism Activity report.
The increase is higher than the national average (9.2%).
The report notes that the fact that Easter was celebrated a month later this year than in 2024 may have influenced the figures.

Almost one million by April
In the first four months of the year, the Azores recorded 928,300 overnight stays in tourist accommodation, 9.3% more than in the same period last year.
In April, the region recorded 116,200 guests (up 9.6%), with an average stay of 3.3 nights, which increased by 5% year-on-year.
Foreign residents accounted for more than half of overnight stays in April (62.8%), totaling 240,800, 27.1% more than in the same period last year.
With 142,500 overnight stays (37.2%), the domestic market recorded a 0.8% drop.
Among foreign markets, Germany was the largest source market this month, with 36,300 overnight stays (15.1% of overnight stays by foreign residents), representing a year-on-year increase of 18.5%.
In second place came the United States, with 34,800 overnight stays (14.5%), up 4.4%, and in third place, Spain, with 33,600 overnight stays (13.9%), up 56.2%.
Spain is among the markets with the highest year-on-year growth, surpassed only by the Czech Republic (129.9%), Austria (113.9%), Italy (58.7%), and the United Kingdom (57.8%).
With 204,000 overnight stays, hotels accounted for 53.2% of the total in April, followed by local accommodation with 160,800 overnight stays (42%) and rural tourism with 18,500 overnight stays (4.8%).
Rural tourism recorded the highest year-on-year growth (61.9%), followed by local accommodation (16.8%) and hotels (10.9%).

Graciosa and Faial in decline

Considering only hotels and local accommodations, which accounted for 95.2% of overnight stays, only two islands recorded a year-on-year decrease in the number of overnight stays in April: Graciosa (down 59.1%) and Faial (down 0.6%).

Corvo was the island with the highest growth in the number of overnight stays (88.8%), followed by Pico (31.6%), São Jorge (30.4%), Flores (19.8%), São Miguel (14.2%), Terceira (8.2%), and Santa Maria (3.1%).

The island of São Miguel, the largest in the archipelago, accounted for 73.5% of overnight stays in hotels and local accommodation (268,000), followed by Terceira, with 45,600 overnight stays (12.5%), Pico, with 19,100 overnight stays (5.2%), and Faial, with 16,300 overnight stays (4.5%).

In most islands, the domestic market accounted for a greater share of overnight stays, being more significant in Graciosa (87.3%), Santa Maria (71.5%), and Terceira (64.1%).

The German and US markets stood out as the main foreign markets in most of the islands, but in Flores, most foreign tourists arrived from Spain (21.4%), in Corvo from Italy (8.2%), and in Santa Maria from the Netherlands (4%).

In the hotel sector, the net occupancy rate per bed reached 55.8% in April (up 4.6 percentage points), and total revenue rose 14.2% to €14.9 million.

The average revenue per available room was €65.97 and per room occupied €102.60. Rural tourism had an occupancy rate per bed of 35.2% (up 8.1 percentage points) and total revenues of €1.7 million (up 57.4%). In this category, the average revenue per available room reached €55.77, and per occupied room, €138.90. No data on revenue is available for local accommodation, but the occupancy rate per bed was 35.1% (up 2 percentage points). According to the report, 29.9% of active local accommodation establishments reported no guest movement in April.

In Diário Insular, José Louenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.