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☆ U.S. Visitors Push Portugal's Foreign Tourism to Record in November
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON (Reuters) - Almost 140,000 visitors from the United States brought the number of foreign tourists in Portugal to a record high last November, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said on Monday. Overall, 1.1 million foreigners travelled to Portugal in November, a record number for that month. Spaniards and Britons came second and third, with 131,000 and 124,000 travellers respectively, INE said in its monthly report. The number of U.S. tourists has grown significantly in recent years as they increasingly find the southern European country cheap, sunny and safe. Tourism, a key driver of Portugal's economy, accounted for almost 15% of gross domestic product before the pandemic.

Persons: Patrícia Vicente Rua, Inti Landauro, Alex Richardson Organizations: National Statistics Institute, Britons Locations: LISBON, United States, Portugal, Tourism

☆ Hundreds of Portuguese police raid farms in human trafficking crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Portuguese maritime police at one of two sites where hundreds of human trafficking victims, mostly migrants from Southeast Asia, were found near Portugal's capital Lisbon, in Samouco, Portugal, June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Miguel Pereira/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLISBON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Hundreds of police raided farms in Portugal's southern Alentejo region on Tuesday, arresting 28 people suspected of human trafficking and labour exploitation, police said. Those detained, both Portuguese and foreign nationals, are suspected of human trafficking, criminal association, aiding illegal immigration, illegal labour recruitment, extortion, money laundering and exerting physical harm, among other crimes. Cases of labour exploitation, when poor migrants are trapped in unpaid work, and human trafficking have been growing in Portugal, particularly in the agricultural sector. The Council of Europe has reported that Portuguese authorities identified 1,152 suspected victims of trafficking in 2016-2020, but the number of investigations, prosecutions and convictions was low for such a large number.

Persons: Miguel Pereira, Patrícia Vicente Rua, Andrei Khalip, Nick Macfie Organizations: Portuguese, REUTERS, Rights, Police, of, Thomson Locations: Southeast Asia, Portugal's, Lisbon, Samouco, Portugal, Rights LISBON, Alentejo, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, India, Senegal, Pakistan, of Europe

Andre Azevedo Alves, political science professor at Lisbon's Catolica University and St Mary's University in London, said the corruption investigation was a "very strong blow" to any PS ambitions. Analysts agree the PSD is likely to come out on top, but doubt its ability to build enough support to form a stable government. "Assuming the likelihood that the PSD will not have (enough) votes to form a government without Chega... we may go from one political crisis to another," Alves said. Waiting for a bus in central Lisbon, Ana Bernardino, 23, vented her concerns about the political outlook. "It is a political crisis and in my opinion it's a bit frustrating that elections are being held again...I'm a bit afraid."

Persons: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Antonio Costa, illegalities, Costa, Costa's, Intercampus, Andre Azevedo Alves, Andre Ventura, Luis Montenegro, Alves, Antonio Barroso, Ana Bernardino, Maria Ines Ferreira, Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira, Patricia Rua, Andrei Khalip, Nick Macfie, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Socialist Party, Social Democrats, Lisbon's Catolica University, St Mary's University, PSD, Chega, Liberal Initiative, CDS, Thomson Locations: Belem, LISBON, Portugal, London, Lisbon, Europe

☆ Foreign tourism to Portugal registers best-ever first half
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal surpassed eight million in January-June, making it the best first half on record, official data showed on Monday. Tourism, a key driver of Portugal's economy, accounted for almost 15% of gross domestic product before the pandemic. Visitors from Britain made up the largest share of total arrivals in the first half, with over one million visitors, closely followed by the Spanish and U.S. markets. In June, the United States, which has significantly grown as a source of tourism to Portugal, represented the second-largest group of foreign visitors. ($1 = 0.9142 euros)Reporting by Patrícia Vicente Rua; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Patrícia Vicente Rua, Andrei Khalip, Bernadette Baum Organizations: National Statistics Institute, Spanish, International Air Transport Association, Thomson Locations: LISBON, Portugal, Britain, U.S, United States, Southern Europe

[1/7] Pope Francis attends the "Stations of the Cross" procession with young people at Parque Eduardo VII during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon Portugal, August 4, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSLISBON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of young people reflected on their anxieties, enslavement to the "tyranny" of social media and yearning to save the planet at a huge outdoor rally with Pope Francis on Friday. SCAFFOLD DANCINGPeople performed modern dance routines that included dangling from scaffolding above the pope as they moved a large cross around a structure that resembled a construction site. When the meditation about climate change was read, they donned gas masks as white smoke simulating air pollution engulfed the scaffolding. Francis started Friday by hearing the confessions of three young Catholics, from Spain, Italy and Guatemala, in one of the parks hosting the festival.

Persons: Pope Francis, Parque Eduardo VII, Edward VII, Jesus, Francis said, Francis, Philip Pullella, Louise Heavens, Leslie Adler Organizations: Parque, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Catholic, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon Portugal, REUTERS LISBON, Via, Catholic Woodstock, Lisbon, Spain, Italy, Guatemala

Pope Francis gestures on the day he meets with aid and charity representatives at "Centro Paroquial de Serafina" during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos MouraLISBON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Pope Francis visited a Church-run social centre in a low-income Lisbon neighbourhood Friday, urging young people to shun "distilled," orderly lives where everything seems perfect but to "get your hands dirty" by helping the needy. "Tangible love is that which gets its hands dirty," he said. The 86-year-old pope is in Lisbon for the Catholic Church's World Day of Youth festival, which ends on Sunday. "Through your actions, your commitment, by getting your hands dirty, by touching the reality and misery of others, you are creating inspiration, you are generating life," he said.

Persons: Pope Francis, Violeta Santos Moura, Vincent de Paul, Francis, Amelia Grantham, Grantham, Philip Pullella, Louise Heavens Organizations: Centro, REUTERS, Violeta Santos Moura LISBON, Catholic, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, Serafina, Spain, Italy, Guatemala, Birmingham, England

[1/5] Pope Francis paints a mural during a meeting with young members of Scholas Occurrentes in Cascais, Portugal, August 3, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSLISBON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, whose predecessors commissioned the Vatican's Sistine Chapel centuries ago, tried his hand at painting on Thursday when he put the final touches on a 3 km long mural while visiting a school west of Lisbon. The mural is part of the "Life between Worlds" project by Scholas Occurrentes, an international educational movement that links about half a million schools on five continents. About 30 murals painted by students and community members were brought together to form a single work in the seaside town of Cascais. "It's very virtual but not very physical," José María Del Corral, president of Scholas Occurrentes, joked between the pope's first and second attempts.

Persons: Pope Francis, Scholas, Scholas Occurrentes, Francis, Del Corral, Pope Sixtus IV, Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, Philip Pullella, Conor Humphries Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Cascais, Portugal, REUTERS LISBON, Lisbon, Mozambique

[1/5] Pope Francis attends a welcome ceremony at Parque Eduardo VII during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 3, 2023. The crowd, which police said numbered about half a million, was the largest in Lisbon since celebrations in 2016 when Portugal's men won the European soccer championships. Thursday's early evening event was the first of several with the pope for World Youth Day, a gathering that takes place every three years in a different city. One of the young people who addressed the pope before he spoke asked him "to put things right in the Church for a better future". He told the crowd the Church had room for everyone, "including those who make mistakes, who fall or struggle", and led them in a chant of "Todos, todos, todos!"

Persons: Pope Francis, Parque Eduardo VII, Portugal mobbed Pope Francis, Francis, Edward VII, Mariana Moreira, God, Philip Pullella, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Parque, Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, REUTERS LISBON, Barcelos

[1/8] Pope Francis speaks as he meets with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps in the Cultural Centre of Belem during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneLISBON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to continue to "stir things up" in the Catholic Church as he moves on with reforms and changes that could leave a lasting legacy. The 86-year-old pope is making his first trip since intestinal surgery in June and uses a wheelchair and cane. A huge billboard raising awareness of clerical sexual abuse was put up overnight in Lisbon hours before Francis' arrival. Francis will also visit Fatima, the town north of Lisbon where the Church believes that the Virgin Mary appeared to three poor shepherd children in 1917.

Persons: Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane LISBON, Francis, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Filipa Almeida, Almeida, Coracao Silenciado, Fatima, Virgin Mary, Philip Pullella, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Alexandra Hudson, Alison Williams Organizations: Cultural, Belem, REUTERS, Catholic Church, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, Rome, Brazil, Ukraine, Europe, Western

Francis was speaking in Lisbon at the start of a five-day visit to the country in which he hopes to energize young Catholics during World Youth Day, the world's largest Catholic festival. The Vatican added the victims were accompanied by some representatives of institutions of the Portuguese Church responsible for the protection of minors. YOUNG CATHOLICS CONVERGE ON LISBONThe pope landed in Lisbon to a sea of young Catholics who have poured into the city from around the globe for the World Youth Day festival, held every two or three years in a different city. In Lisbon, young believers jumped and sang as they proudly waved their country's flag outside the Vatican embassy, where the pope is residing. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneWorld Youth Day "is a sign of faith and union in which all of us get together for a cause," said 20-year-old Carlos Hernandez.

Persons: Pope, Francis, Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Carlos Hernandez, Australian Andrew De Santos, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Philip Pullella, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Alison Williams, Conor Humphries, Grant McCool Organizations: Catholic, Wednesday, Catholic Church, Vatican, Bishops, Conference, Cultural, Belem, REUTERS, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Portugal, LISBON, Lisbon, Portuguese, Vatican, Australian, Brazil, Rome, Ukraine, Europe

☆ Severe drought spreads in Portugal, officials seek EU help
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Around 90% of mainland Portugal is suffering from drought, with severe drought alone affecting one-fifth of its territory, twice as much as in March and nearly five times the area reported a year earlier. Some parts are in an extreme drought situation, which did not exist at the same time in 2022. The northeast and southern regions were particularly badly hit, and the dry weather conditions were expected to continue. With temperatures above normal for this time of the year, the agency said April 2023 was the third-driest and fourth-warmest in the last 92 years in mainland Portugal. Neighbouring Spain has registered the driest start to a year since records started, its weather agency AEMET said on Wednesday, with less than half the average rainfall during the first four months of 2023.

☆ Jeronimo Martins' first-quarter profit jumps 59%, margin narrows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Patricia Vicente Rua | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, April 26 (Reuters) - Portugal's second-largest retailer Jeronimo Martins (JMT.LS) on Wednesday posted a 59% jump in first-quarter net income as higher prices to offset soaring inflation boosted sales, though its margins narrowed. The company booked a net profit of 140 million euros ($154.71 million) between January and March. Consolidated sales in the first three months of the year rose 23.4% to 6.8 billion euros, driven by its Biedronka chain in Poland, where sales increased 26% to 4.8 billion euros. Consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew 20.1% to 446 million euros in the quarter. The company plans to invest around 1 billion euros this year, 45% of which in Poland where it wants to open between 130-150 stores and remodel about 350 stores.

Since then, critics say those schemes have come back to bite the economy by ramping up competition for scarce housing - fuelling inflation and piling pressure particularly onto young, local, entry-level workers. Rents in Lisbon have jumped 65% since 2015 and sale prices have sky-rocketed 137%, figures from Confidencial Imobiliario, which collects data on housing, show. Locals struggled to keep up in a country where public housing only represents 2% of the property market, according to government data. The average rent for a one-bedroom flat in Lisbon is around 1,350 euros, a study by housing portal Imovirtual showed. "If housing stays this expensive or gets worse, (foreign) people ... will start moving back to their own countries."

☆ EasyJet cabin staff in Portugal plan early April strike over pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, March 17 (Reuters) - EasyJet (EZJ.L) cabin staff in Portugal will go on a three-day strike in early April to demand higher wages to compensate for the soaring cost of living, the SNPVAC union of civil aviation flight personnel said on Friday. Workers at the British low-cost airline, who also seek better working conditions, are planning to walk out between April 1-3. "Due to the economic climate, easyJet workers have lost purchasing power over the last three years," SNPVAC said in a statement. "The increase in the cost of living suffocates workers and jeopardises the well-being and comfort of their families." Reporting by Patricia Vicente Rua; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

More than 50% of workers earned less than 1,000 euros per month last year while rents and house prices have skyrocketed. Prime Minister Antonio Costa told a news conference the crisis was now affecting all families, not just the most vulnerable. It is not clear when the measures, worth at least 900 million euros ($962.19 million), will come into effect. To address the housing shortage, Costa said the state would rent vacant houses direct from landlords for a period of five years and put them on the rental market. At a small housing protest in Lisbon, 23-year-old activist Andreia Galvao accused the government of failing to live up to promises it made to address the housing crisis in the past.

☆ TAP cabin staff to strike on Dec. 8-9, plan more walkouts until end-Jan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Cabin staff at Portugal's flag carrier TAP will go on strike on Thursday and Friday to demand higher wages after pay cuts under the airline's recovery plan, the SNPVAC union said, adding it would schedule more walkouts later. The 25% salary cut we suffered due to the company's restructuring plan is unacceptable, especially given current inflation levels," SNPVAC head Ricardo Penarroias told Reuters on Tuesday. The union is also demanding the company unfreeze pay progression, and respect maternity leave and rest periods. TAP, which is under an EU-approved 3.2-billion euro bailout plan, has also advised passengers to reschedule their bookings. The plan involves downsizing its fleet, cutting more than 2,900 jobs and reducing wages of most workers by up to 25%.

☆ Portugal approves preventive monkeypox vaccination for risk groups
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A woman holds a mock-up vial labeled "Monkeypox vaccine" and medical syringe in this illustration taken, May 25, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoLISBON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Portugal's health authority widened its monkeypox vaccination strategy to include preventive shots for groups most at risk and approved the use of smaller doses, an approach known as "dose-sparing", due to limited supplies, it said on Wednesday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe preventive vaccination logistics strategy will be managed at a regional level, after identifying eligible citizens in a specialist consultation. With the new strategy, Portugal follows in the footsteps neighbouring Spain or Britain, which also approved the use of smaller doses of the monkeypox vaccine following a European Medicines Agency decision. Portugal has received 2,700 doses of the Bavarian Nordic's (BAVA.CO) Imvanex vaccine in July and has started vaccinating close contacts.

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