Speaking to Lusa agency, on the sidelines of ITB China, where he participated with a delegation of 20 Portuguese companies, Carlos Abade added that the goal is to reach one million overnight stays by Chinese tourists during 2026.

"In line with the growth forecasts for the Chinese market in the world, we think this is possible," he said.

Portugal received 57,740 tourists from the People's Republic of China -- excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan -- in the first quarter of 2024. This corresponds to an increase of 135% year-on-year but represents only 70% of 2019 levels, which last year before the covid-19 pandemic.

"It may be possible to reach the end of the year with numbers similar to those of 2019, which would be 385,000 guests, 600,000 overnight stays, and 224 million euros in revenue", stated Carlos Abade.

China, the largest source of tourists in the world, kept its borders closed for almost three years, as part of the "zero cases" policy of covid-19, which was dismantled at the end of 2022, following protests in several cities across the country.

The president of Turismo de Portugal highlighted the "magnificent" results for Porto. Although the number of Chinese tourists nationwide remains below the level of 2019, in the case of the country's second-largest city there was an increase of 107%, year-on-year, in the first quarter of 2024.

The person in charge also highlighted the importance of operating on Chinese social networks, after the launch by Turismo de Portugal of a mini-program on WeChat, aiming to promote Portuguese gastronomy, tourist attractions or festivities.