Official figures indicate that 112,000 Chinese visited Portugal in the first four months of this year, nearly 20,000 more than in the corresponding period last year, Xinhua reports.
The Chinese government-run news agency, citing figures given by Statistics Portugal, says 3.8 million foreigners visited Portugal in the first four months, about 200,000 more than a year earlier.
People in the travel industry expect considerably more Chinese to visit Portugal after direct flights between China and Portugal resume in August, Xinhua says.
Earlier, Business Traveller reported that Beijing Capital Airlines of China will start on August 30 a passenger service between Beijing and Lisbon via the central Chinese city of Xi’an, having given up last October flying between Lisbon and the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou via Beijing.
