However, not everyone feels its benefits and many even believe that the sector is responsible for rising prices and housing shortages, according to the latest “Tourism Barometer”, launched by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation (FFMS).

According to this study, which was based on 1072 interviews with residents of mainland Portugal between April and July 2025, 57.2% of respondents stated that the growth of tourism had a significant or considerable impact on their area of ​​residence, which is due to the uneven distribution of tourism activity across the country.

“The not very high overall value of residents' perceptions regarding the strength of the impact of tourism growth at the local level (average of 3.58 on a scale of 1 to 5) is explained more by the disparity of opinions than by consensus regarding the moderation of these impacts. This disparity is related to the spatial concentration of tourism. In many municipalities of mainland Portugal, tourism remains incipient, so, understandably, strong local impacts will not be perceptible in these territories,” reads the FFMS Tourism Barometer and reported by Publituris.

The increase in prices, especially housing, is one of the main impacts of tourism growth identified by the Portuguese, reaching an average of 7.4 on a scale of 0 to 10, which is in addition to a decrease in houses available for residents.

The study shows a widespread perception that the impacts of tourism are more negative than positive, as there is greater agreement with the idea that tourism has increased the cost of living and housing than it has contributed to family incomes.

Despite this, Portuguese also recognize positive impacts, such as the creation of new job opportunities in tourism-related activities (average of 6.15), increased investment in both new and existing businesses (average of 6.12), and a greater diversity of service offerings (average of 6.10).

Nevertheless, the FFMS study states that “there is a moderately negative perception among respondents regarding the effects of tourism in terms of the livability of places and the experience of daily life,” since more respondents agreed that the growth of tourism has increased the lack of parking (average of 6.18), litter (average of 6.02), queues in restaurants, supermarkets and hospitals (average of 5.95), congestion in transport and on the streets (average of 5.83) and noise (average of 5.72) than those who disagreed with these statements.

As for perceptions regarding cultural impacts, such as the protection and appreciation of built heritage, cosmopolitanism or, conversely, the loss of authenticity of places and local customs, they seem to be “more ambiguous or less consensual,” with the study indicating that “the cultural impacts of tourism are perceived with less intensity (positive or negative), possibly because they are more abstract or variable depending on the context.”

The Portuguese also want the Government to prioritize the well-being of residents, even if this implies a reduction in tourism revenue, with around 80% of respondents even advocating for a reduction in short-term rentals (AL) to address the housing crisis.

In addition to limits on AL, many respondents, especially those living in areas with greater exposure to tourism, advocate for limiting visitors in overcrowded areas, while the majority want greater diversification of the economy to reduce dependence on tourism, with only 10.4% disagreeing with this idea.

The Tourism Barometer indicates that the Portuguese prefer "moderate and controlled growth" in this activity, even opposing "accelerated expansion," which would be likely to "aggravate the pressures already identified."