In 2024, Madeira recorded approximately 38.6 overnight stays per inhabitant, nearly five times the national average, and a tourist density of 11,900 overnight stays per square kilometre, one of Europe's highest. These figures, which sparked social media commentary, raise questions about the tourism sector's true economic weight.
Data from 2019 shows that the Gross Value Added (GVA) generated by tourism accounted for 16.2% of the regional GVA, double the national average. Employment in tourism-related activities represented 17% in the region, compared to 9.7% nationally. While tourism consumption represented 28.8% of the regional GDP in 2019, GVA is the appropriate indicator for measuring the sector's impact.
More recent indicators, such as the GVA of non-financial companies in 2024, where accommodation and catering contributed 23.2%, do not suggest a decline in the sector's importance. The region's strong dependence was evident in 2020 when Madeira's GDP fell by 15.4% due to pandemic restrictions, nearly double the national drop, attributed by DREM to the "specialisation of the RAM economy in tourism-related activities."
