tourism. When the success of the minority punishes the majority

Real estate pressure is one of the most important effects of tourism. House prices, whether to buy or rent, continue to rise and this trend is expected to continue. According to the results of a survey conducted by the University of Munich, which collects forecasts of more than 1,000 economists, house prices in Portugal will rise again by more than 8% annually in the next decade.

These figures are consistent with a disclosure by the National Statistical Institute (INE), in which home valuations rose again in July. The average square meter value is 1,552 euros, an increase of seven euros compared to the previous month.

Also in the rental market the news is not the most encouraging. The pressure is greater in the big cities, as is the case in Lisbon, which is why it receives more tourists.

According to the International Housing Index, which analyzed 64,000 properties in 23 European cities, the capital is the most expensive European city to rent an apartment. He takes for example the price of a T1 which can cost an average of 2,500 euros per month. That is, 200 euros more than Amsterdam, which was until now considered the most expensive city.

The same scenario is repeated in room prices, after they increased by about 30%, to go from 425 euros to an average of 525 euros per month.

Lisbon is also the European city with the highest annual rise in studio values, which is now around 70%.

Data from INE had already indicated this trajectory, as the price per square meter increased by 9.4% in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year, to settle at 6.74 euros per square meter. This was the second highest home rental value on record since 2020, although it was down 2.5% from the previous quarter.

These elevations respond to the law of supply and demand, as the latter acquire more and more land and in the event that more landmarks are rented, the owners move their homes to local accommodation.

With these and other problems in mind, the government approved the “Mais Habitação” package, which the President of the Republic had objected to in the meantime. But after wielding a political veto – expressing its indignation, but without practical effect – the executive has promised to keep the same lines: restrictions on domestic accommodation and forced leasing.

Officials remove blame But despite these increases, local housing owners and businessmen deny responsibility for this pressure on the real estate market and argue that the government must solve the housing shortage. In an interview with Nascer do SOL, Ana Jacinto, Secretary General of ARESP, stated that “local housing cannot be linked to a lack of housing, and has nothing to do with a lack of housing. Local accommodations have always existed, and there has always been a lack of housing. Obviously We are very concerned about the housing shortage.”

Also in a statement to our newspaper, the president of Turismo Porto e Norte, Luis Pedro Martins, admitted: “I am neither naive nor naïve, let alone not transparent. If you ask me does tourism bring only good things? No, it is not true. Tourism has very positive effects, But it also has some negative effects.

However, he points out that the positive effects in the aggregate are more significant and that is why it is worth betting on tourism. “Of course, there are issues that need to be regulated and I think that is what some municipalities have already been doing, namely Porto and Lisbon. The only appeal I make, and I think there is this concern, is that the area is not seen as a whole, because if there is pressure on local housing in Parishs of the historic centers of the big cities, this pressure does not exist, even in cities like Porto and Lisbon if we move a little further from the center, and it will be much less when we move away from the big cities and go inland.”

Lots of tourists Currently, there are more and more global destinations recording visitation and guest records, of which Portugal is no exception, and this movement is now associated with excessive tourism. [turismo em excesso] And often to various protests by the population.

With this surplus in tourism arise other problems, especially in big cities, environmental problems (noise and air pollution) in the streets or near airports or cruise terminals, public transport overcrowding, and the accumulation of rubbish and urban waste that the collection network cannot handle. Selling and closing the traditional local trade in staples (grocery, butcher, fishmongers, mini-market, etc.), replacing it with modern trade aimed exclusively at tourists (gourmet hamburgers, souvenir shops, etc.).