TOURISM

Several factors make Portugal a very attractive and competitive tourism destination:

Proximity

to the main outbound markets (495 million people in the EU)

Mild climate

without negative temperatures or snow and with summer temperatures of 30ºC

Safe and stable country

one of safest destinations in Europe (3th most peaceful country in the World)

Good quality/price ratio

higher quality of tourism offer

Culture

a rich and diverse country in terms of culture

800 national monuments

and more than 2,500 buildings classified as having public interest

15 UNESCO World Heritage

sites plus 3 Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity-Fado, Mediterranean diet and Canto Alentejano

Sanctuary of Fátima

one of the most important catholic shrines (6 million of pilgrims and tourists each year)

Natural resources

a rich and diverse country in terms of nature

36 Protected areas

protected areas and Natura 2000 network occupy 23% of the country

850 K of Sandy Beaches

there are 320 distinguished quality beach zones

The coast

attracts 90% of all international tourists

EDUCATION

In the field of higher education, Portugal has the purpose of specific interventions to their enforcement of advanced training of human resources in science and technology, research and innovation, aiming at the creation of: a solid qualification base, the consolidation of institutions, the creation of scientific employment, the link between training higher education and scientific work and the insertion of researchers in companies and scientific leaders.

 

To achieve these objectives, the following will be supported, namely:

  • master’s, doctor a land post-doctoral programs and scholarships,
  • research programs,
  • placement in national institutions of researchers with permanent activity in the foreigner,
  • promotion of scientific employment and scientific and technological culture, as well as support for broadening the social base of higher education and international mobility.

TECHNO INNOVATION HUB

In the last few years Portugal has been gaining a good position worldwide concerning the ICT development index. In fact it’s been rich in growing a number of entrepreneurial companies and market leaders in Information and Communications Technology.

The actual economic and start-up ecosystem in Portugal has created a great potential in the industries of Information and Communications Technology, not forgetting their cent contribution of the Web Summit events in Portugal, which increased, undoubtedly, the Country’s visibility in this sector.

Portugal has been the nest for some high-tech innovations that changed the world in which we live today.

From financial services, to software, hardware and telecommunications, Portuguese companies have achieved a high level of excellence and international recognition with state-of-the-art products and services. Portugal’s multifunctional 24/7ATM machines make life easier for those accessing financial or public services. It is also the homeland of Via Verde, an innovative electronic system that allows one to pay high way tolls and carparks or even pay gas at petrol stations without having to leave your car. Via Verde processes 500 thousand transactions per day.

Turnover

15.351 M

Nº of Companies

15.351 M

Nº of Employees

98.221 M

GREEN ENERGIES

In January 2021 4944GWh of electricity were generated in Continental Portugal, from which 71,2% came from renewable sources.

Renewable energy covered more than 50% of Portugal’s electricity needs last year. Wind energy alone was 23%, placing Portugal in the top European countries for wind energy. And the Portuguese government pledged to one of the most ambitious 2030 targets in the EU: it wants renewable energy to cover 80% of the country’s electricity needs by 2030, of which 31% would come from wind. Portugal also installed the second floating wind farm in Europe in 2019, paving the way for a huge growth of offshore floating wind technology in the coming years.

More renewable energy also means more jobs and a stronger industrial base for countries like Portugal. An estimate of 22,000 people already works for the wind industry in Portugal and factories in places like Viana do Castelooragos are major contributors to local infrastructure, employment and the economy.

Wind

29.3%

Hydro

34.7%

Fossil

28.8%

Bioenergy

5.7%

STARTUPS

In Portugal, it is easy to start a business. In fact, the country ranks 29th in the "Ease of Doing Business Rank" (WorldBank DB, 2018, out of 189 countries).

  • Startups benefit from simplified licensing and special legislation designed to make life easier for tech and innovation businesses. . There are many incentives and programs available if you are  a startup, to name a few: Startup Voucher–7.5K for entrepreneurs, to use in business services and an Incubation Voucher–7.5K for entrepreneurs to use in incubation services.
  • The Seed Program (Program Semente), a tax relief for individual investors who purchase new shares ($2250-$112,000) in startups and keep them for 3 years.
  • Startup Portugal Momentum–national program for recent graduates who had financial help throughout college. Includes housing, general expenses and incubation, free of charge for one year–available for entrepreneurs who present the best business ideas.
  • 200M, a program to stimulate foreign startups to choose Portugal. The program consists of 200 million euros from the state budget and 200 million from private funds and is part of the support strategy for entrepreneur ship in Portugal, Startup Portugal. Visit Startup Portugal here.
  • 40 Active Venture Capitalists.
  • 20 Business Angels
  • The time to setup a business in Portugal is less than 1 hour (WorldBank DB, 2018, out of 189 countries and the country ranks 36th in the “No. of procedures to start a business” indicator (GCI,2017-2018, out of 137 nations) and 6th in  the “Tradetariffs%duty” indicator (GCI,2017-2018, out of 137 nations).

PORTUGUESE
HEALTH SYSTEM

The health status of Portuguese people has improved considerably over the last decade. People live longer but health-related quality of life has not always improved, particularly after age 65, and there are significant differences between men and women. The latest forms of the Portuguese health system aims at improved economic sustainability, primarily by focusing on efficiency and transparency.

Effectiveness

  • A meanable mortality rates are in line with EU averages, albeit with large differences by gender. Portugal has among the lowest avoidable hospital admissions rates in the EU.

Access

  • Unmet needs for medical care are around the EU average, but geographical disparities in the availability of services are the main barrier to access in Portugal. PT EU 0% 4% 8%

Resilience

  • The health system may face fiscal and workforce sustainability challenges, owing to population ageing and staff retention hurdles. Recent reforms aim to enhance the efficiency and transparency of the health system, but areas such as hospital management have yet to be tackled.

REAL ESTATE

Portugal is western Europe’s most dynamic property market thanks to tax incentives for foreign buyers and a so-called golden visa program, which offers resident permits in return for a minimum 500,000 – euro ($550,000) investment.

Foreign investors have pumped 4.3 billion euros in to Portuguese real estate through the residency programs iwhich began in 2012.

Lisbon has become a magnet for tourists in Europe as many investors renovate properties and turn them into short-term rentals through sites like Airbnb. The short-term rentals have been blamed for increasing prices because they target visitors who can afford to pay more than locals.

According to the latest figures, Portuguese property prices increased 9.2% in the first quarter of the year, the biggest gain in the euro

region and thete e pestrise???? in the European Union after Hungary and the Czech Republic, according to data compiled by Eurostat.

GOLDEN VISA

MOST FREQUENT OPTIONS

€500,000 indirect real estate investment

€350,000.00 in investment in investment funds

Real estate investment

€1,000,000 in capital transfers

Company opening with creation of at least 10 work stations

Permanence in Portugal of:

7 days in 1 st year Or periods of 14 days every 2 years

TAX REGIME FOR NON HABITUAL RESIDENTS

The Portuguese Investment Tax Code contemplates a very attractive Personal Income tax system for the non-habitual resident;

For a period of 10 years, taxation related to IRS (personal income tax) on labour income in Portugal is a tax fixed rate of 20%; no double

Taxation for pension incomes or for employment and self-employment income obtained abroad.

1 %
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK GDP growthrate 2019 (EU 1,5%)
1 %
EXPORTS GROWTH 2018-2019 (EU27-3,5%)
1 %
EXPORTS / GDP 2019 (EU27 -49%)
1 %
GROSS FIXED CAPITAL FORMATION 2018-2019
1 %
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE Nov. 2020 (EU27 -7,5%)