Markets
India

Market Characterization for Portugal

In 2025, India ranked as the 26th largest source market for Portugal in terms of overnight stays (share: 0.4%) and also ranked 26th in terms of guests (0.5%). In 2025, the Indian market recorded 107,800 guests (year-over-year change: +8.7%), who generated 247,100 overnight stays (year-over-year change: +10.8%). It stands out as the 34th market in terms of tourism receipts with €64.7 million (share: 0.2%), up 12.7% compared to 2024.

In terms of overnight stays, Lisboa was the main destination for Indian tourists visiting Portugal (53.2%), followed by the Norte (17.6%) and the Algarve (14.3%). By type of accommodation, hotel stays predominated (68.1%), followed by alojamento local (18.1%) and hotéis-apartamentos (7.0%).

The airlines that carried Indian tourists to Portugal via indirect routes were: Emirates Airline (share: 14.5%), Etihad Airways (13.7%), Lufthansa (11.4%), TAP (5.1%), Qatar Airways (3.9%), Swiss (3.7%), Turkish Airlines (3.6%), and Air France (1.7%). Most flights originated from Mumbai (share: 30.7%), followed by Delhi (29.5%), Bengaluru (14.9%), and Chennai (6.6%).

According to SIBS data, Lisboa accounts for 61.3% of the €7.6 million in card spending originating from India (2025), followed by the Norte region (share: 17.4%) and the Algarve (9.6%).

2025 Position | Year-over-Year Change
Guests 0.1M 25º | 8.7%
Overnight stays 0.2M 26º | 10.9%
Tourism receipts 64.7M€ 34º | 12.7%

Market Profile

Change 25/24
1463.9 M Population
0.9 %
10869.6 USD GDP per Capita
7.4 %
4.2 % Inflation Rate
-0.4 pp
34.7 % Savings Rate
0.0 pp

India is an Asian country with a population of 1,450.94 million in 2024 and was the world’s 5th largest economy.

According to Globaldata, in 2024, India was the world’s 10th largest source market for tourists, accounting for 2.1% of total global tourism demand. 

The top four regions sending Indian tourists abroad were: New Delhi (share: 27%), Mumbai (17%), Kochi (11%), and Calicut (8%). In turn, 98.1% of trips abroad taken by Indian tourists in 2024 were by air, 1.6% were by land, and 0.3% by sea. Leisure accounted for 76.9% of all trips, followed by business (14.9%).

Team

Market Team Coordinator
Cláudia Matias
claudia.matias@turismodeportugal.pt

Outlook

The latest IMF data indicate that India’s economy grew by 5.0% in 2024, despite the current unfavorable global economic environment, the conflict in Ukraine, and rising costs for energy, raw materials, and intermediate goods.

Growth of 4.9% is projected for the years 2025 to 2029. According to GlobalData estimates, between 2025 and 2029, international departures by Indian tourists are expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4%, reaching a total of 40.0 million departures in 2029. Spending by Indian tourists abroad is expected to increase at a CAGR of 9.9% over the same period.

According to estimates from OAG Schedules Analyser, based on the 2025 summer season compared to 2024 for the period from April 1 to September 30, 2025, the following number of available airline seats from India to major European destinations is projected: United Kingdom: 1.1 million seats (+16.8%); Germany: 580,000 (+1.1%); Turkey: 360,000 (+5.8%); France: 225,000 (-4.3%); and Italy: 100,000 (+6.5%).

Portugal and Spain do not have direct flights to India; all flights to these countries have at least one stopover in Europe: Turkey and the Middle East. According to Forwardkeys data, flight forecasts for passengers originating from the Indian market to Portugal via other departure airports, reported for the period from January to June 2026, point to a 1.5% increase compared to the same period the previous year.

TOP 10 Destinations | 2024: The United Arab Emirates ranks first with a 12.1% share, followed by the U.S. (7.0%), Thailand (6.9%), Saudi Arabia (6.1%), Kuwait (5.3%), Malaysia (3.8%), Singapore (3.0%), China (2.5%), the United Kingdom (2.5%), and France (2.2%). Portugal ranked 36th globally (share: 0.3%) and 10th in Europe (2.0%).