Porto Short-Term Rental Registrations Outpace Lisbon Fivefold
New short-term rental (Alojamento Local) registrations in Porto grew five times faster than in Lisbon this year, according to industry data presented at the National Local Accommodation Summit in Porto. National tourism figures show total registered holiday rental units reached approximately 118,000, up 14% from 2022. Industry representatives dismissed claims that holiday rentals drive the national housing crisis, while former Labour Minister Ana Mendes Godinho suggested adapting tourism support programs to stimulate long-term housing.
Update: Former Minister to Coordinate Local Accommodation White Paper
Former Economy Minister Manuel Caldeira Cabral was appointed to coordinate Portugal's first White Paper on Local Accommodation (Livro Branco do Alojamento Local), scheduled for release by May 2027. The project will collect contributions from universities and sector representatives through late 2026, with Manuel Caldeira Cabral stating that short-term rentals are not solely responsible for broader national housing pressures.
Local accommodation (alojamento local) means short-term tourist rentals—private apartments, houses or rooms rented for days or weeks—that must be registered and licensed with municipal authorities. Municipalities can suspend or cancel licences (Lisbon cancelled about 6,700 licences in early 2026), so travellers and hosts should check a listing's registration and local rules before booking or offering stays.
Manuel Caldeira Cabral is an economist and university professor who was Portugal's Minister of Economy from 2015 to 2018 in the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista) government. Following his ministerial term, he spent five years on the board of the national insurance and pension funds supervisory body. He was appointed to coordinate the government's official white paper reviewing policies around short-term holiday rentals (Alojamento Local).
