According to the Portuguese Bullfighting Federation (PróToiro): “During the first post-pandemic year [covid-19], the number of bullfights grew by 58% compared to 2021, going from 121 to 191 bullfights and the public increased by 105%, rising from 182,600 in 2021 to 375,200 spectators in 2022”.

In the note, PróToiro underlines that the sector showed this year “great resilience and vitality”, with “very high” growth indicators, after the pandemic period.

“Relevant data is the fact that analysing only the bullfights, these increased by 11% compared to 2019 (from 138 in 2019 to 153 in 2022), surpassing the pre-pandemic number”, underlines the federation.

With regard to the average occupancy in bullfights, this was 2,174 spectators, an increase of 35.7% compared to the 1,602 spectators per race in 2021.

Cited in the statement, the president of PróToiro and the National Association of Forcados Groups, Diogo Durão, considers that this year bullfighting showed “great resilience” and that the growth in the number of shows and the public “shows well the attachment” of the Portuguese to bullfighting.

PróToiro recalls that around 70 thousand hectares were dedicated to the creation of wild bulls, promoting the sector “biodiversity and the fight against climate change”.

In addition to other data, PróToiro reveals that Portuguese cattle ranches once again “contributed positively” to the trade balance of goods and services, with exports reaching “456 wild cattle”, to Spain and France, an increase of 143% compared to 187 cattle shipped in 2021.

In the note, PróToiro regrets that spectators of bullfighting shows continue to be discriminated against with the payment of an “illegal rate of 23%” of VAT on tickets, since 2020, when the rate due on cultural shows is 6%.

“This jeopardises not only the total recovery of the sector but also the support to the social solidarity institutions that depend on it. We recall that the charities and private institutions of social solidarity own about half of the bullrings in the country”, laments the federation.


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