Portugal’s government is preparing a major shake-up in the country’s historic hotel network, with national tourism board Turismo de Portugal aiming to buy the 49% stake held by the Pestana Group in Enatur, the company that oversees the Pousadas de Portugal.
According to a report in Jornal de Negócios (paywalled), the goal is to bring Enatur back under full state ownership by the end of next year, ahead of the expiry of the current concession contract for the Pousadas network on December 31, 2026.
Pestana acquired its minority stake in 2003 for around €28 million, at a time when Enatur had accumulated years of losses. The group has since operated the national chain of luxury and heritage pousadas under a long-term concession that the government intends to put out to public tender once it expires.
The Pousadas de Portugal network includes historic hotels located in buildings such as castles, monasteries, convents and palaces. Spread across more than 30 sites in mainland Portugal and the islands – from Lisbon and Porto to the Algarve, smaller inland towns and the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores – the network enables guests to stay in officially preserved historic properties that have been adapted for tourism.
