“We need to enhance the tourism flow. Currently, there is no direct flight from Riyadh to Portugal, and we will have to address that issue,” commented Castro Almeida at the end of a two-day visit to the Saudi capital.
The official suggested that “if it is difficult” to link the capitals of the two countries, “Porto and Faro are alternative destinations.”
“There is a great appetite and a huge potential for tourism because Saudis have a very, very high purchasing power and are eager to travel and get to know our country,” he asserted.
During the visit to Riyadh, the minister met with the Chairman of the Board of Expo 2030, an event in which Portugal is expected to participate, he admitted.
“I am very interested in our participation here,” he told Lusa.
In various meetings with different members of the Saudi government and other authorities, the minister was “insistently” questioned about Portuguese participation in Expo 2030, to which the country has been invited.
Castro Almeida stressed that Portuguese authorities will examine this possibility and a definitive decision “will not take long.”
