Portuguese central bank data indicate that Chinese visitors to Portugal spent about €130 million (roughly US$150 million) last year, 80 percent more than the year before, the government there says.
An official written statement says the data show about 277,600 Chinese stayed overnight in Portugal’s hotels last year, 43.3 percent more than the year before, making up 1 per cent of all hotel guests to the country.
Altogether, Portugal had 24.1 million hotel guests last year, 12.9 per cent more than the year before and the most in any year yet.
The statement quotes Secretary of State of Tourism Ana Mendes Godinho as saying that last year more tourists visited less popular parts of the country, tourism was less concentrated in the summer peak season and visitors came from a wider range of countries.
