More Americans flying to Portugal but British spend more

The presence of Americans in Portugal has increased, now surpassing tourists from Spain. However the British still lead when it comes to number of tourists in Portugal and they spend more.

Some 70 million passengers of all nationalities flew to Portuguese airports in 2025, the vast majority of them tourists with few of them talking ongoing transfers to other destinations.

The revenues were felt over the course of 2025 with the data showing that it would be another record year.

One of the drivers behind the uptick in US citizens travelling to Portugal is improved air connectivity.

Major airlines like TAP Air Portugal, Delta, United, and American Airlines offer direct flights from New York, Miami, Boston, Washington, Chicago, and even San Francisco.

Precise 2025 data for the total number of American visitors to Portugal has not yet been fully calculated, but trends indicated a continued surge, with US expat numbers rising 36% in 2025.

And while the final figure for the number of British visitors to Portugal last year is still not out, forecasts indicate that the British market remains a top source for tourism in Portugal, with flight bookings to Portugal from the UK for March to August 2025 showing an increase of 2.3% compared to the previous year.

Portugal continued to be a top destination for British tourists, ranking among the top choices for holiday-makers in 2025.

And British tourists are among those who spend more when on holiday overseas, up 10% on 2024.

In Portugal they spent around €2.2Bn with forecasts suggesting an increase of around 6% between 2025 and 2028.

SOURCE: Negócios