In Brief: A recent study reveals that Portugal is leading the way in wellness tourism, with both the number of visitors and their expenditure exceeding the European average.
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Portugal’s Wellness Tourism and Spending Outpace European Averages, New Report Shows – Image Credit Global Wellness Institute
The Global Wellness Institute has released its first data on Portugal’s wellness economy, reporting a 2024 market size of $21.0 billion and highlighting growth in wellness tourism and spending.
The Global Wellness Institute, in partnership with the Associação Portuguesa de Ética Empresarial (APEE), has published its first research on Portugal’s wellness economy, reporting that the sector reached $21.0 billion in 2024. This accounts for 6.8% of Portugal’s GDP, above the global average of 6.1%.
Portugal’s wellness tourism sector recorded 2.49 million inbound wellness trips in 2024, surpassing the pre-pandemic 2019 level of 2.05 million trips. Visitors spent an average of $1,349 per trip.
Per capita wellness spending in Portugal reached $1,961, exceeding the European average of $1,876. The country’s largest wellness sectors are wellness tourism at $5.1 billion, personal care and beauty at $4.2 billion, and physical activity at $3.7 billion.
The fastest-growing wellness sectors in Portugal are wellness real estate (20.6% CAGR), mental wellness (13.4%), public health, prevention, and personalized medicine (10.2%), and wellness tourism (7.4%).
The Global Wellness Economy: Portugal report is available for download from the Global Wellness Institute website and will be formally presented at a public event hosted by APEE in Lisbon on March 20, bringing together representatives from business, public institutions, academia, and sectors including health, tourism, real estate, and sustainability.
