British tourists lead spending in Portugal

Data from Turismo de Portugal reveals that British tourists were the highest spenders in Portugal during the first half of 2026, accounting for €518 million of the €3.7 billion in total foreign card payments. This represents a 6.2% increase in payment value compared to the same period last year. Most of these transactions occurred in the Greater Lisbon and Algarve regions.

Americans ranked second in total spending, contributing approximately €2.4 million in retail purchases. Overall, the €3.7 billion in foreign spending was distributed across retail (€1.4 billion), dining (€1 billion), and accommodation (€735 million).

While British tourists made the highest total volume of purchases with 16 million transactions, Irish tourists had the highest average spend per transaction, at €90.60, followed by visitors from Mozambique and Angola.