It's official, Portugal is one of the hottest places to travel right now.
Earlier this year, TravelPulse identified a growing interest in travel to the country, spurred by more airlift and its attraction as a culinary destination.
Now, after official tourism numbers were released for most of 2017, it seems that Portugal remains on an upward trajectory.
The total number of American visitors to the country in 2016 was 391,125-a number that, in 2017, was surpassed months before the year ended.
By October 1, 2017, 522,653 Americans had already visited the country with more than 1 million overnights and an increase in visitation of 34 percent over 2016. It's also four times higher than the number of Americans visiting just 10 years ago.
The recent rise in the number of visitors to the country is meteoric. In a month-to-month comparison, October 2017 was up 44 percent over the same month in 2016. And these numbers don't take into consideration visitors traveling to Portugal in the final months of the year, which is sure to increase the results.
It's also ideal for adventure lovers with opportunities for hiking, cycling, off-roading, big-wave surfing, ziplining and more.
Tourism growth is a win for the Portuguese people as well. With a boost from tourism, the country's economic growth is near the top of the European Union, and unemployment is at a nine-year low.
According to data from the Bank of Portugal, in September 2017, revenues generated by tourism jumped 21 percent in September, and revenue from U.S. visitors was up 34 percent.
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