Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

COVID-19: Eerily quiet Portugal looks ahead to influx of UK flights tomorrow morning

COVID-19: Eerily quiet Portugal looks ahead to influx of UK flights tomorrow morning

The tourist hotspot is looking quiet for this time of year - but that's all about to change as Britons head for sunnier climes.

There are few better ways to see the gem that is the Algarve than from the water.

And we set off in a rib from the marina at Vilamoura.

Heading out to sea and bouncing along past beaches and resorts which look unusually quiet for this time of year.

We set off in a rib from the marina at Vilamoura


Many loungers are empty, towels and bodies positioned far apart. There's something missing, and it's the UK holidaymakers who haven't been able to visit Portugal for months.

But that's all about to change.

Tourists from the UK will be Portugal-bound in the coming hours and Christiano Cordairo from Vilamoura Watersports couldn't be happier. Onboard the rib, he tells us the last year has been really tough.

"Usually around 90% of the tourists around here are from the UK and we missed all of that for months," he says.

"We tried to keep as many people in work as possible but with little tourism some people had to leave the company. Hopefully things will now get better."

Airport staff in Portugal are braced for crowds come Monday


The news that Portugal was to be put on the UK government's travel green list, meaning visitors won't have to quarantine when they return home, sent weather-weary Brits rushing for computers and travel agents to book the first flights out.

Twenty flights are due to arrive from the UK into the Algarve's Faro airport on the first morning tourists are allowed in.

Staff we spoke to are braced for crowds.

Passenger service manager Cidalia Palma said "it'll be a good and a bad day", alluding to the mixed emotions of impending demand at an airport which has been eerily quiet during the pandemic and the joy at seeing it bustle once again.

And she's not the only one preparing to step up a gear.

On Albufeira's famous strip-much loved by UK partygoers - you usually struggle through the crowds to get a drink.

Not when we visit in the hours before the first holiday flights from the UK touch down. And staff manning the bars and restaurants are actually looking forward to being busy again.

We meet bar worker Emily McLaughlin who says things will be different. Drinking will have to stop at 10.30pm instead of the usual 4am to comply with COVID rules. But she says things are heading in the right direction.

She says: "We are really looking forward to it. Hopefully things will come back round for us again."

Next door, At The Temple Bar, Lisa Molenkamp, told us: "We miss the British because the British are always here in the day time and the night time. It's really enjoyable to have them because they always like to make a party."

Back up the coast in Vilamoura, the phone has been ringing non-stop at Rui's steak house where UK visitors love to dine.

Owner Gabriel Robu says all the profits he built up since taking over the business were wiped out in the last year but now the reservation book is looking healthy again.

Restaurant owner Gabriel Robu says things are looking up


He told me: "Straight away after they put the news on TV, people they start phoning and making bookings. So that gives you hope for the future."

There is a real sense of optimism in the Algarve. Ask anyone in the tourist sector and they will tell you this is the beginning of the bounce back. Or at least that's what they're hoping for. They're counting on travel from the UK building over the summer.

And yet a few admit to feeling just a little mournful about the imminent arrivals. Some of the locals who've enjoyed having the beaches pretty much to themselves.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×