What are Portugal’s showstoppers for tourists?

What are Portugal’s showstoppers for tourists? - Portugal Business News

Travel and Tourism News Europe - Here are Portugal's showstoppers for tourists and their economic impact in figures:

Portugal’s main tourist attractions include music festivals and concerts. In 2024, Portugal hosted a record number of 358 music festivals, with a total of 2.5 million spectators, including national and international audiences.

Regarding the concert sector, Portugal hosted concerts by Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Pearl Jam, André Rieu, António Zambujo, Sérgio Godinho, Bárbara Tinoco, Slow J and Da Weasel among many others in 2024.

Box office revenue from live shows in Portugal increased 28.5% year-on-year in 2023, according to a Statistics Portugal report on December 5, 2024. In 2023, 42,792 live show sessions were held, that is a 3.4% increase compared to 2022. The live shows were attended by 17.1 million spectators, that represents a +14.9% increase compared to 2022. Moreover, 7.3 million tickets were sold, representing a +9.6% increase compared to 2022, generating 189.2 million euros in box office revenue, that represents an increase of +28.5 compared to 2022.

Since Portugal does not have monuments like those in Paris or Rome, “culture is a key tourism asset that will be present in the new Tourism Strategy 2035”, announced Carlos Abade, president of Turismo de Portugal. With the peak season for music festivals starting in June, Portugal’s tourism authority is promoting an international digital campaign called “Portugal Music Festivals Headliners”, focusing on Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Here are Portugal’s most successful music festivals in 2024 and their economic impact:

1 - Rock in Rio Lisboa

Rock in Rio Lisboa is a global brand that ranks No. 1 most popular music festival in Portugal. In 2024, Rock in Rio Lisboa attracted 300,000 visitors from 106 nationalities to Lisbon, including markets such as Brazil, Spain and the United States, and had an estimated total economic impact of €120 million. 

The 10th edition of Rock in Rio Lisboa, that celebrated 20 years in Portugal, was held on the 15, 16, 22 and 23 of June 2024. Rock in Rio Lisboa included Scorpions, Evanescence and Xutos e Pontapés, and the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2026, the Rock in Rio Lisboa festival “will focus on attracting a greater number of foreign audiences, with a more intense and structured internationalization plan,” stated Luís Soares, Marketing Director of Rock in Rio Lisboa.

2 - NOS Alive Festival

NOS Alive Music Festival ranks 2nd most popular music festival in Portugal with 165,000 people in 2024.

Lisbon’s NOS Alive Music Festival has a direct economic impact of €60 million and attracts an audience of over 80 nationalities.

The next festival will take place on the Algés Promenade in July, that is a venue for festivals that bring tens of thousands of people to this spot, with the river to one side, and a unique view of the city to the other.

Since around 80% of festivalgoers stay for “five days or more” in the Lisbon region, music festivals increase the average stay of tourists and therefore doubles tourism revenue. 

Concert tourists “can go to the beach or surf in the morning, try Portuguese cuisine at lunchtime or visit the surrounding areas of Lisbon, such as Cascais and Oeiras, because the music only starts in the middle of the afternoon, and the most daring can still go to the nightlife”, stated Álvaro Covões, director of the NOS Alive Festival.

3 – Primavera Sound Music Festival

Primavera Sound Music Festival ranks 3rd most popular music festival in Portugal, breaking its attendance record, with over 100,000 people gathered in 2024 in Porto, and the most crowded day was Friday, with Lana Del Rey as headliner attracting 40,000 people.

4 - Marés Vivas music festival

Marés Vivas music festival, held in Vila Nova de Gaia in Porto, ranks 4th most popular music festival in Portugal with over 100,000 people in 2024.

5 - Sol da Caparica

Sol da Caparica music festival ranks 5th most popular music festival in Portugal with 100,000 people in 2024.

6 – Kalorama

Kalorama music festival in Lisbon ranks 6th most popular music festival in Portugal with 100,000 people in 2024.

7 - Boom Festival

Even before the lineup for the Boom Festival scheduled for July was announced, 40,000 tickets had been sold to 169 countries, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

While the direct economic impact on the municipality amounted to €2.6 million, in terms of Gross Added Value, the Boom Festival contributed an increase of €29.3 million to the Portuguese economy.