By Alper Aydın – Co-founder and CEO of Tripnly
Portugal’s travel industry is booming. In 2024, the country welcomed a record 31.6 million visitors – a 5.2% increase year-on-year – and tourism revenues hit new highs. The World Travel & Tourism Council projects that the sector will contribute over €62.7 billion (about 21.5% of GDP) in 2025, making travel and tourism one of Portugal’s largest economic sectors.
This growth – supporting roughly 1.2 million jobs (nearly 1 in 4 in Portugal) – underscores the massive demand for innovative travel services. For Portuguese travel tech companies, these trends signal fertile ground to build new products and capture market share. With tourism surging and the startup ecosystem maturing, now is the time for travel tech founders to seize the moment.
Portugal’s booming tourism sector
Travel and tourism have become pillars of the Portuguese economy. In 2024 alone, overnight stays grew 4.1% and tourism revenues jumped 8.8% over the previous year. Nearly two-thirds of visitors were international, with tourism receipts reaching €27.7 billion (up 8.8%). This surge means travelers are spending more time and money across Portugal, from Lisbon’s historic districts to the Algarve’s beaches.
Portugal’s government has doubled down on tourism-friendly policies. Strategic initiatives like the Startup Visa, the Turismo de Portugal’s programs, and major tech events such as Web Summit in Lisbon have created a supportive environment for innovation in travel.
Portugal’s startup ecosystem is vibrant and continues to grow rapidly. The country is supported by numerous incubators and accelerators and has produced homegrown unicorns like Talkdesk, Remote, and Feedzai. Startup funding has grown close to 30% annually since 2016. Portuguese startups now represent more than €2 billion in aggregate value.
For travel tech entrepreneurs, this ecosystem offers significant advantages. There is strong local tech talent, easy access to mentors, and ample government incentives. This combination creates a unique springboard to build the next generation of travel services.
Key opportunities for Portuguese travel tech startups
Given these tailwinds, Portuguese travel tech startups should explore several high-potential areas:
All-in-one superapps
Today’s travelers increasingly seek one-stop platforms that cover their entire journey. In fact, 97% of travelers say they would use an integrated “travel superapp.” Portuguese startups can address this demand by bundling trip planning, bookings, content, and social features into a single app.
For example, the Tripnly mobile app has positioned itself as an “all-in-one travel platform,” allowing users to discover destinations, plan and book itineraries, and share experiences. By centralizing services such as itinerary planning, offers, and city guides, a travel superapp can better understand user preferences and enhance the overall travel experience.
Sustainable and responsible travel
Tourism’s rapid growth has also sparked criticism, particularly around overtourism and environmental impact. The startups that rise to meet these challenges will truly stand out. Tools like carbon calculators, eco-friendly booking options, and offset solutions are increasingly in demand. At Tripnly, we are working on an AI-powered Carbon Footprint Calculator with the ambition of making every trip carbon-neutral by 2030.
Travel tech products that empower travelers to reduce their footprint, support local communities, or embrace off-season journeys can align with the global movement toward softer, more sustainable, and more meaningful travel experiences.
Experiential and wellness travel
Modern travelers, especially younger generations, are seeking experiences that go beyond traditional attractions and deals. Wellness-focused tourism, including yoga retreats, mindful tours, and soft-clubbing events, is on the rise. Soft clubbing refers to substance-free, wellness-oriented social gatherings that combine music, mindfulness, and community building – often held during unconventional hours like early morning or afternoon.
Portuguese startups have a unique opportunity to design experiences that combine culture, wellness, and social connection. At Tripnly, for instance, we partnered with Espressolab to co-organize Lisbon’s first-ever morning club event, called “Wake Up Club,” which was also the first of its kind in Portugal.
These early-morning gatherings featuring music, coffee, and community were specifically crafted to engage Gen Z travelers and have since become the backbone of Tripnly’s go-to-market strategy. The events attracted hundreds of attendees and generated tens of thousands of social impressions, showing how creative, offline experiences can effectively build brand loyalty.
City passes and bundled services
Digital city cards and bundled services remain an untapped niche, offering tourists both convenience and savings. These packages, which combine transport, museum entries, tours, and local experiences, can attract visitors seeking a seamless travel experience.
Tripnly Lisboa City Pass™ illustrates this approach by bundling access to 50+ top attractions at a single price, often with discounts up to 50%, making it easier for tourists to explore the city while generating upfront revenue.
Portuguese startups can take a similar path by partnering with local tours, transportation providers, and cultural experiences, while adding a tech-first layer through mobile apps, dynamic content, and loyalty features.
Local partnerships and ecosystem integration
Government and industry connections are crucial for travel tech startups. Building partnerships with hotels, airlines, tourist boards such as Visit Lisboa, and even city transportation networks can help integrate solutions seamlessly into the local travel ecosystem.
Supportive initiatives like Turismo de Portugal grants and Lisbon City Hall programs provide valuable channels for collaboration. Portuguese travel tech companies can also leverage Europe-wide programs, including EU sustainability grants, by demonstrating how their products enhance Portugal’s tourism offerings.
Personalization and AI-powered recommendations
Leveraging Portugal’s strong pool of engineers and data scientists, startups can build advanced recommendation engines and AI travel guides. Think AR museum tours, chatbots for local advice, or real-time itinerary optimization using machine learning.
Technology that personalizes travel by analyzing social media or user preferences will keep travelers engaged. Tripnly already uses AI for itinerary planning, aiming to bridge the innovation gap in the travel sector. Portuguese startups have the talent to take this further, for example by integrating generative AI to craft custom travel narratives or voice-powered sightseeing assistants.
Digital nomads and extended stays
Portugal has emerged as a key destination for digital nomads, drawing remote workers from across the globe thanks to its vibrant culture, mild climate, and affordable cost of living. This growing demographic seeks more than just a place to stay. They value flexibility, community, and meaningful local experiences.
Startups can seize this opportunity by creating platforms that combine co-living arrangements, visa facilitation, coworking options, and curated networking or social events.
By integrating housing, community engagement, and local insights, these solutions help long-term visitors feel supported, connected, and fully immersed in Portuguese life. Tailoring offerings to the specific needs of digital nomads allows travel tech companies to tap into a rapidly expanding market while positioning themselves as essential partners in the evolving landscape of remote work and slow travel.
B2B marketplaces
Building marketplaces that connect businesses with travelers represents a significant opportunity. Tripnly, for instance, operates a B2B marketplace that links merchants directly with users. Portuguese startups could develop specialized platforms for tours, cultural experiences, or language services, enabling restaurants, guides, and local artisans to reach tourists with tailored offers.
Given the large number of small tourism vendors across Portugal, platforms that facilitate direct engagement with over 31 million annual visitors have the potential to drive substantial growth and create meaningful value for both businesses and travelers.
Strategies and future directions
The examples above suggest several strategic takeaways for travel tech founders in Portugal:
Leverage local ecosystem: Tap into Portugal’s active startup networks, accelerator programs, and innovation grants, and network vigorously in the community. Portugal’s Startup Visa, Tech Visa, and tourism support initiatives are powerful tools for growth.
Forge partnerships: Build alliances with traditional travel players by collaborating with hotels, transport providers, restaurant chains, and tourist boards to extend distribution. Strategic partners can open new channels for engagement, such as bundled offers or guest services, while also providing valuable insights and data to enhance your offerings.
Focus on user experience: Keep innovation user-centered by focusing on seamless and intuitive mobile experiences. Prioritize multi-language support, such as Portuguese, English, and Spanish, to cater to international travelers. Ensure apps function offline, integrate local payment options, and comply with EU regulations, including GDPR and sustainability standards.
Differentiation through niche content: Even as all-in-one apps grow, niche offerings still have room. Consider underserved segments (e.g. family travel tech, accessibility tools for travelers with disabilities, faith-based tourism solutions). Portugal’s rich culture (fado, festivals, gastronomy) can inspire themed travel apps or content platforms. Using data analytics, startups can identify gaps – for example, if some attractions lack good English guides, a startup could fill that with an AR tour app.
Scalability with sustainability: Embrace global trends but start local. Solutions that work in Lisbon – whether an events format or a booking engine – should be built with scalability in mind, both to other Portuguese regions (Porto, Algarve) and beyond. Keeping an eye on sustainability certification (like B Corp) can open doors to European funding and conscious travelers worldwide.
The entrepreneurial mindset: Resilience and rapid Learning
Building successful travel startups requires embracing uncertainty and maintaining learning agility.
This means developing hypothesis-driven approaches that test assumptions quickly and cost-effectively, prioritizing user feedback and iterating based on real usage data, staying prepared to pivot direction when metrics indicate low engagement, and continuously optimizing features based on user behavior analytics.
The most resilient founders understand that not every idea will succeed immediately, but each iteration brings valuable insights that inform better decisions.
Unlocking Portugal’s travel tech potential
Through our journey at Tripnly, we’ve witnessed firsthand how Portugal’s travel tech landscape offers unique advantages that many entrepreneurs haven’t fully recognized yet. The combination of record tourism numbers, government support, and a maturing startup ecosystem creates conditions we rarely see elsewhere in Europe.
What excites us most is the timing. We’re operating in a market where traditional travel infrastructure is still catching up to modern traveler expectations. This gap represents genuine opportunity for Portuguese startups willing to think beyond conventional booking platforms and embrace experiential, community-driven solutions.
The key insight from our experience? Success comes from understanding that Portuguese travelers and international visitors want authenticity paired with convenience. Whether through our Wake Up Club events or our Lisboa City Pass integration, we’ve learned that technology works best when it enhances rather than replaces human connection and local culture.
For fellow entrepreneurs ready to tap into this opportunity, the time is now. Portugal’s travel tech ecosystem is primed for innovation – the question isn’t whether to start, but how quickly you can move from idea to execution. The market is waiting.
About the author:
Alper Aydın is the co-founder and CEO of Tripnly, where he leads the development of travel solutions powered by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain. He is driving Tripnly’s vision to become the leading all-in-one travel platform and to make every journey carbon neutral by 2030.
Featured image: Alper Aydın, co-founder and CEO of Tripnly (Photo courtesy of Tripnly)
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in contributed opinion pieces are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Portugal Startup News.
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