A United Airlines will have a new route connecting Faro and New York/Newark starting in May 2024

It is extremely positive for the Algarve region's expectations, considering the impact this market already has on the Algarve, both in terms of tourism and the presence of investments from major funds and brands.

The United States emerged as the fourth-largest tourist market for Portugal in 2022, based on the guest indicator (share: 9.9%), and ranked fifth in terms of overnight stays (7.4%) and tourism revenue (8.9%).

Surpassing Brazil, the U.S. secured the top position among long-distance markets. The year-on-year growth was remarkable, with a +337.1% increase in guest numbers, +330.0% in overnight stays, and +273.5% in revenue.

The growth trend had already begun before the pandemic. In absolute and relative terms, the U.S. experienced the most significant growth in overnight stays in the five years leading up to the pandemic (2014-2019). During this period, the U.S. market contributed to an additional 1.8 million overnight stays (in comparison, the second-largest absolute growth came from the British market, with 1.6 million). The U.S. market climbed from the 9th position in 2014 (share: 2.6%) to the 6th position in 2019 (5.5%).

Adding to this, the connection between Ponta Delgada and Faro, also set to be operated by SATA starting next spring, will enable the linkage of the Azorean airport to Faro, which serves as a gateway to many destinations in Canada and the United States. We are confident that the consistent rise in the number of tourists from these two destinations to our region, recorded in recent months, will experience a substantial boost.