Publicado a 12 de abril 2025

Azores Easter bookings surge

The occupancy rate in local accommodation in the Azores is currently around 85% but could exceed 90% at Easter, with the national market standing out, along with a growth in tourists from Canada.

“We have good occupancy rates for the Easter period, which starts next week. We are at around 85% occupancy. And we are expecting it to exceed 90% by the end of Easter,” said the president of the Azores Local Accommodation Association (ALA), João Pinheiro, in statements to the Lusa news agency.

According to the official, unlike last year, when Easter took place in March, when the IATA summer had not yet started, this year, "there are good prospects" for the festive period.

"This year, with Easter coinciding with the IATA summer, flights are back to normal and we expect a good season", said João Pinheiro.

The president of ALA told Lusa that “national tourists continue to be the best market” during the Easter period, with additional demand from the French and German markets.

However, there is "growth in the Canadian market, which is a surprise", the official noted, admitting that this may be occurring due to the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" imposed by the United States on its trading partners.

"We have not yet seen a decline in American tourists. However, we are seeing a great demand from tourists coming from Canada," he added.

Local accommodation represents 62% of the total number of beds in the Azores and, according to João Pinheiro, the issue of air connections in the low season and the lack of labor continue to be the main concerns of business owners.