Lisbon Sees Record Cruise Passenger Numbers
Total 18,000 passengers and crew arrive by sea in one day; last year saw record number of tourists, rise continues. A record 13,000 passengers disembarked on Tuesday in the port of Lisbon from the towering hulls of cruise ships, including Cunard Line's gigantic trio of "Queens" making a rare joint stopover in a nod to the destination's growing popularity. Tourism has been an important element in helping Portugal's economy emerge last year from its worst recession since the 1970s, alleviating its high unemployment rate from record highs of over 16 percent by generating jobs in tourism centres like Lisbon, Porto and the southern region of Algarve.
Record Cruise Passenger Arrivals at Lisbon
A record 13,000 passengers disembarked on Tuesday in the port of Lisbon from the towering hulls of cruise ships, including Cunard Line's gigantic trio of "Queens" making a rare joint stopover in a nod to the destination's growing popularity. Tourism has been an important element in helping Portugal's economy emerge last year from its worst recession since the 1970s, alleviating its high unemployment rate from record highs of over 16 percent by generating jobs in tourism centres like Lisbon, Porto and the southern region of Algarve. Tourism-related revenues account for more than 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product that shrank in full-year 2013, but is expected to grow 1.2 percent this year, just as Portugal exits an international bailout.
