After a 2022 in which tourists once again filled the country's streets and hotels, 2023 is born with high expectations that this year will be even better than the last. However, for this to materialise, all the operators that make up the national tourism chain must continue to innovate and offer tourists a differentiated service.
The best way to continue to do this is to keep an eye on the trends and innovations that are shaping the tourism industry worldwide and try to adapt them to your business according to the specificities of the national reality.
Tourism trends in Portugal in 2023
To ensure that hospitality continues to be Portugal's brand image, take note of the main trends that will mark tourism in Portugal throughout 2023.
More mobile and digital payments
One of the new trends in tourism in Portugal is undoubtedly the contactless payments.
Adopted by consumers and encouraged by the government and the Bank of Portugal, which, among other directives, made it compulsory for all cards issued in Portugal to have contactless technology integrated contactless payments have an increasing weight in the turnover of Portuguese businesses in the most diverse areas, including, of course, tourism.
By the end of 2022, according to REDUNIQ Insightsthe weight of TPA using means contactless accounted for 56% of the total turnover of businesses connected to the REDUNIQ system, 10% more than in 2021 and 31% more than in 2020, an evolution that highlights the need for businesses connected to tourism to provide their customers with hotel payment methods that suit their habits so that they can continue to earn.
In this field of contactless, mobility and the digitalisation of payment terminals (TPA) are the latest developments.
In addition to the possibility for guests to pay for their stay via card, smartphone or contactless smartwatch, terminals such as the REDUNIQ Smart take the payment experience even further. This POS allows a hotel or restaurant not only to accept contactless payments by card, chip, MB WAY, Google Pay and Apple Pay, but also to facilitate the management of the entire business structure from, for example, a reservation or even the monthly or annual accounting for the month or year by incorporating a set of management apps that make the business totally mobile and digital.
To complement this innovative payment experience, it is also possible to add to these terminals the solution DCC- Currency Conversion which, among other things, allows your business to accept payments in the customer's home currency and receive additional revenue.
Among the new tourism technologies in Portugal, the Integrated Payment Solution for Hospitality REDUNIQ enables hotel establishments to combine their management programmes with a POS solution with contactless technology to offer a better payment experience and greater speed, security and efficiency in the booking, check-in, stay and check-out processes for customers.
Learn more how REDUNIQ's integrated payment solution for hotels worksduring the entire customer hosting process.
Decrease in Last Minute Bookings
In addition to the new payments, in 2023 the tourism sector in Portugal will receive fewer "last minute" bookings. Faced with the need to contain spending, customers will tend to prepare and book their stays further in advance in order to obtain more competitive prices.
This decline in "last minute" bookings will be complemented by the growth not only of group bookings, but also of travel for remote work ("anywhere office") which, since the pandemic, has become widespread all over the world.
More sustainable tourism
Despite the increased propensity to travel, sustainability is increasingly on the table, forcing tourism-related businesses in Portugal to seek to offer the most socially and environmentally sustainable experience possible by 2023.
This includes, for example, including locally grown food products, reducing material waste by opting for recyclable materials and introducing more interconnected and responsible tourist packages.
Personalising the tourist experience
Socially and environmentally sustainable tourism is in line with a trend that has been taking place over the last few years: the personalisation of the tourist experience.
In 2023, tourists aren't just looking for a place to spend their holidays, they're looking for an experience that meets their desires. That's why it's important for tourism businesses in Portugal to get to know their customers and offer them accommodation and activities that meet their desires and expectations, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will return.
