The Satisfaction Survey of Tourists Visiting the Azores – High Season 2024, conducted by the Sustainable Tourism Observatory of the Azores, reveals that the United States (21.23%), Spain (20.84%), and Germany (20.71%) were the top three international source markets for visitors during the peak travel season.
The survey reflects a sample of 469,646 tourists who stayed in traditional hotels across São Miguel, Terceira, and Faial during the 2024 high season. A total of 1,550 responses were validated—273 from residents of mainland Portugal (17.73%) and 1,267 from international visitors (82.27%).
When asked about their motivation for choosing the Azores, the most cited reason was personal recommendation from family or friends (29.74%), followed by the Internet (14.48%), prior experience (8.31%), and social media (7.86%). Other notable motivations included the islands’ reputation as a safe (6.10%), little-known (5.45%), island (4.68%), and sustainable (4.61%) destination, as well as travel agent recommendations, affordability, and proximity.
Regarding spending, 35% of visitors reported expenditures over €1,000 for transport and accommodation, while 57.7% spent between €200 and €499 on dining.
Satisfaction levels were high across key services, including air transport, with 73.2% of respondents expressing satisfaction or high satisfaction with pricing and punctuality; accommodation, with 81.6% of respondents satisfied or highly satisfied; and restaurants, with 73.4% giving positive ratings.
Visitors also showed strong satisfaction with the Azores’ natural landscapes and hiking trails, as well as cultural heritage sites. However, areas needing improvement include public transport, event offerings, restaurant variety, tourist signage, and airport infrastructure.
Encouragingly, 73.3% of surveyed visitors expressed interest in returning to the archipelago.
Tourism statistics for 2024, released by the Regional Statistics Service, underscore a record-breaking year for the Azores. The region registered over 4.2 million overnight stays (+27.6% compared to 2022), more than €187 million in hotel revenue (+46%), and €18 million in Rural Tourism income, surpassing €200 million overall. These figures confirm the Azores’ growing global competitiveness and highlight tourism as a key economic driver.
Tourism currently accounts for approximately 20% of Gross Value Added, 17% of regional GDP, and 17% of employment in the Azores. The Regional Government, through the Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility, and Infrastructure, continues to invest in sustainable, evidence-based development policies to foster long-term growth and resilience in the sector.
Source: Press Release @ azores.gov
The Azores (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago, discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government’s executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal. According to the latest US census, over 1.3 million individuals of Portuguese descent live in the United States, the majority with roots in the Azores. It is estimated that over 20,000 US citizens live in Portugal.
