Tag: Mercan Group

Portugal’s recent review of its citizenship law has once again drawn strong attention from international investors and families. Proposed amendments related to residency duration and the calculation of qualifying residence periods were suspended following intervention by the Constitutional Court, meaning the current legal framework remains in force. In an era of increasingly unpredictable global immigration […]

Air travel in Greece returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2025, placing the country eighth among European states for aviation recovery and reinforcing its role as a key tourism market in southern Europe. EUROCONTROL data showed that Greece recorded an average of 1,549 daily flights, including arrivals and departures, representing a 4 percent increase compared to […]

Greece remains among the leading travel choices for Western European travelers over the next 12 months, maintaining a strong position in key source markets despite intensifying competition across the Mediterranean, according to new research by INSETE, the research institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE). Findings from INSETE’s latest study, “Brand Greece: How Attractive Is […]

The American–Hellenic Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) said Greece’s real estate market is facing a dual challenge of housing shortages and rising prices, pushing residential property increasingly beyond the reach of many households. The assessment comes from its latest Property Market Outlook for Greece, which reviews market performance in the second half of 2025 and outlines […]

In 2024, Portugal was the fifth-largest European Union country in terms of revenue generated by foreign tourists, amounting to €28 billion, with Spain leading with €98 billion, followed by France, Italy and Germany. According to an analysis released by the Bank of Portugal (BdP) on the impact of tourism on the Portuguese balance of payments, […]

Global tourism returned to a normalized growth trajectory in 2025, with international travel demand remaining resilient despite inflationary pressures and geopolitical uncertainty, according to the first World Tourism Barometer of the year released by the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism). An estimated 1.52 billion international tourists were recorded worldwide in 2025, nearly 60 million more […]

Greece welcomed more than 36.6 million visitors in the first eleven months of 2025, generating just over 23 billion euros in travel receipts, according to Bank of Greece data, with stronger revenues supported not only by higher arrivals but also by increased average spending per trip. A particularly strong November further reinforced signs of demand […]

2025 Performance Overview In 2025, Mercan Group continued to strengthen hospitality footprint in Portugal, marking another year of solid operational execution across its branded hotel portfolio. During the year, Mercan completed 4 new hotel openings—Amarello Hotel Praia Santo André, The Origine Porto Gaia, Renaissance Porto Lapa II, and Moxy Alfragide Lisboa—alongside the reopening of Hotel […]

Entering 2026, the Greek real estate market is showing an increasingly clear feature of being “differentiated by buyer types”: one group consists of return-oriented investment buyers, while the other focuses on lifestyle-driven holiday and owner-occupier buyers. Differences among buyers from different countries in terms of usage, budget, and product selection are reshaping the overall pattern […]

On January 18, 2026, Portugal held the first round of voting in its new presidential election. As no candidate secured an absolute majority, the race will proceed to a second-round runoff. This scenario is rare in Portugal, having last occurred in 1986, and has therefore drawn intense domestic and international attention. This election is not […]

Portuguese airports handled 68.9 million passengers from January to November, 4.7% more than in the same period of 2024, while cargo traffic registered a more moderate increase of 0.3%, the INE (National Institute of Statistics) indicated. According to the INE quick air transport statistics, approximately 5 million passengers passed through national airports in November, up […]

According to the latest “2026 Luxury Outlook Report,” Portugal’s luxury real estate market outperformed the overall residential market in both sales performance and price growth in 2025, and this upward momentum is expected to continue into 2026. The report points out that the luxury segment is gradually developing a different operating logic from the traditional […]

Last year closed with another historic high in the number of passengers transported through Greek airports, which exceeded 30 million at Athens Airport and 37 million at the 14 regional airports managed by Fraport Greece. The strong increase in passenger traffic, mainly driven by the international network, from which 85% comes, led Athens International Airport […]

Greece’s short-term rental market ranked among Europe’s fastest-growing in 2025, recording a double-digit rise in guest overnight stays during the third quarter of the year, according to the latest Eurostat data. While growth rates varied across European countries, Greece recorded a 12.3 percent increase in guest nights, reaching 29,338,244. Across the seven most visited EU […]

According to Greek media reports, the 2025 Henley Private Wealth Migration Report reveals that Greece and Portugal have both secured spots among the world’s top 10 destinations for millionaire migrants. They now stand alongside the UAE, the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Canada, and Australia. The report highlights a rapid acceleration in cross-border […]