Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Sep 16, 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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
×