Portuguese Secretary of State of Tourism Ana Mendes Godinho has said her country wants to be a main draw for Mainland Chinese tourists, and wants those that visit to stay longer, Lusa reports.
“Chinese citizens that arrive in Portugal are always channelled through another gateway to Europe, namely Spain,” the Portuguese news agency quotes Ms Godinho as saying, “which leads them to spend few nights in Portugal”.
Ms Godinho, speaking during a promotional visit to Beijing, said it should be the other way around.
The report says 183,000 Chinese tourists visited Portugal last year, about 20 percent more than the year before.
Direct flights between China and Portugal begin in July and arrivals are set to increase.
