Portugal Tourism (TP) wants not only to increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country, but also to increase the length of their stay in Portugal and encourage travel throughout the country, beyond Lisbon. The news is highlighted in the latest Chinese newsletter, Chine Lusophone Brief.
Welcoming a delegation from Zhejiang Province, TP’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Lídia Monteiro, pointed out that China “can finally resume international leisure travel and following the recent announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism”, which included Portugal in the list of 60 authorized countries – says the publication.
According to Lídia Monteiro, Zhejiang is the Chinese province that brings more tourists to Portugal. “The head of the Chinese delegation, the first-level inspector of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in this region of China, Liu He, pointed out that 35 percent of the Chinese who visited Portugal in 2019 came from Zhejiang province,” says the publication.
According to Lídia Monteiro, “one of the main contributions to bring the two countries closer together is the direct flight between Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province on the east coast of China, and Lisbon, operated by Beijing Capital Airlines. The airline recently announced that it will increase the number of direct flights to twice a week, connecting the two cities in just 13 hours, on Thursdays and Saturdays, without a stopover”.
Zhejiang is a province in eastern China, south of Shanghai. It includes a rural hinterland and urban centers along the East China Sea. It has an area of 101,800 square kilometers and a population that exceeded 57 million in 2018.
