With its Mediterranean climate, it is one of the warmest countries European countries. Although a very traditional country, Portugal is visited by tourists from all over the world and is immensely popular with British and northern European holiday makers.

Portugal has become renowned for its world class golf resorts, exquisite cuisine, warm hospitality and long golden sandy beaches, presenting itself remarkably well as a family holiday destination.

KEY FACTS

• Strong tourism industry
• Established property and resale market
• Low cost airline routes
• EU funds and recently modernised infrastructure
• Strong demand for retirement property

RENTAL RETURNS AND TOURISM

Tourism has become increasingly important to the Portuguese economy as the number of visitors has grown and now contributes to 8% of the GDP. Over 11.6m tourists visited in 2006, the most popular regions for tourists being the Algarve, Lisbon and Maderia.

CAPITAL APPRECIATION AND THE PROPERTY MARKET

The market has remained stable for 20 years and continues to offer great prospects for medium to long term investment. The market in the Algarve is buoyant and property prices have risen to various degrees across the country also. Many feel there is still capacity for growth as average prices are cheaper than its next door neighbours, Spain and France.