Braganca, Portugal, Aug. 13, 2026 (Lusa) - The Mayor of Braganca, in north eastern Portugal, has said that the total solar eclipse brought «enormous economic benefits» to the region, providing «excellent and well-deserved publicity».
«The impact was very significant for the region, particularly for the hotel and catering sectors, local shops and the promotion of our heritage,» said Isabel Ferreira, who watched the phenomenon at Bragança aerodrome, where thousands of people gathered during Wednesday afternoon.
The mayor also revealed that short-term rental accommodation and hotels in the region were fully booked very early on, which was very positive and important for the sector.
«Certainly, accommodation and hotels alone generated over €300,000 per night,» she highlighted.
Describing Bragança as the «capital of the solar eclipse» in Portugal, Isabel Ferreira emphasised that this designation gave the town «a well-deserved place in the spotlight» in a country that often overlooks the interior.
«Bragança deserves this prominence because it has natural, cultural and heritage resources; indeed, it is a special area that deserves to be better known,» she noted.
The total solar eclipse turned day into night in Bragança, and the moment when light gave way to darkness – accompanied by a brief breeze – drew smiles, applause, shouts and tears from the crowd.
As the moon gradually covered the sun and the day began to become night, the thousands of people gathered at Bragança aerodrome grew increasingly enthusiastic, shouting «it's almost there» or «just a little bit to go».
Shortly after 7.30 pm, just as the moon completely covered the sun, words such as «wow», «amazing», «marvellous», «astonishing» and «fantastic» could be heard among the crowd.
In Portugal, Wednesday's solar eclipse was total (100% coverage) only in a small area of the Montesinho Natural Park, near Bragança.
Elsewhere in the country, the eclipse was partial, ranging from 92% to 99% across the mainland and from 74% to 77% in the Azores and Madeira.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, the Moon and the Sun are perfectly aligned, and the Moon completely obscures the Sun's disc for a few moments.
SVF/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
