plus

Vanguelis Panayotis, guest at the BTL International Tourism Exhibition in Lisbon

4 min reading time

Published on 07/03/16 - Updated on 29/06/23

Vanguelis Panayotis

On the occasion of the group's new partnership with the Portuguese national hotel association AHP, the general manager of MKG Group Vanguelis Panayotis was the guest of BTL, the International Tourism Exhibition in Lisbon, Portugal.

During his presentation, Mr. Panayotis outlined the good results of Portuguese hotels, which are currently experiencing a powerful growth phase. While the country went through a difficult period following the economic and financial crisis of 2008-2009, with a new slump in 2011-2012, today it is one of the most  dynamic Europeans territories for the hotel sector. Alongside Italy and neighboring Spain, Portugal has recorded results that rose sharply last year, resulting in a RevPAR with double-digit growth (+13.5%) from January to December over the previous year. Since 2013-2014 Portugal's hotel industry has entered a strong recover, benefiting from the popularity of its major destinations of Lisbon, Porto, and shoreline regions.

While the economic recovery underway on the Iberian Peninsula partly explains these excellent results, other factors have also made it possible to for Portuguese hoteliers to end 2015 on a high note. The security situation in several competing destinations thus benefited Portugal's tourism sector, a country that is considered safe and currently has a good reputation among European leisure clientele. During his presentation, Vanguelis Panayotis also insisted on the results of other countries in the Mediterranean, where tourism is not necessarily following the same dynamic: Portugal and its hoteliers were thus among the beneficiaries of a carryover from other countries in the Mediterranean, such as Tunisia or Turkey, where security severely weakened arrivals of international clientele.



Change in the RevPAR in Mediterranean countries in 2015






Changes calculated with respect to 2014



Dark green: +10% or more




Light green: Between 0% and +10%






Orange: 0% and less






Source: HotelCompSet & AHP Monitor - 03/2016



The presentation also offered Mr. Panayotis an opportunity to review results produced in other countries in Europe, North Africa and Middle East, where the hospitality landscape is changing along with its main players. The General Manager at MKG Group thus spoke of the growing strength of accommodation sharing and the re-balancing of powers between hotel groups, before clarifying the growth forecasts for the years to come, which have been marked by the emergence of new dynamics on the sector.

MKG Group and the Associação da Hotelaria de Portugal just announced thee strengthening of their partnership, allowing better access to the Observatory of hotel performances for Portuguese properties that are members of the AHP. The president of the Association, Luis Veiga, is pleased about this partnership, and mentioned the importance of the economic recovery in Europe in light of new growth in the Portuguese hotel industry's performances, which are in line with forecasts made by MKG Group. The latter now partners with many professional hotel associations on a national and European scale, such as the international network Hotrec and the German observatory IHA.

Also read:

  • European Hotel Market Review 2015-2016 [Dossier]
  • 2015 in Europe: hotel KPIs continue to grow, driven by southern countries and CEECs
  • Hotel activity forecast for 2016 and 2017: Positive prospects, but uncertainties
  • Portugal: Tourism returns in 2014 bringing 10 billion for the country's economy
  • Portugal: brooding hoteliers are picking up again

For further

Every week, the HON team brings you an expert look at the world of hospitality. By becoming a member, you will have access to a complete ecosystem: exclusive content, jobs, etc.

BECOME A MEMBER

Sign up to add topics in favorite. Sign up to add categories in favorite. Sign up to add content in favorite. Register for free to vote for the application.

Already signed up? Already signed up? Already signed up? Already registered?