Lisbon eyes bigger share of Chinese outbound market

Portugal kicked off its biggest tourism promotion campaign in Beijing earlier this month to gain a bigger slice of the Chinese outbound market.

The Portugal tourism authority signed a memorandum of understanding with nine major Chinese travel agencies, including Ctrip and Utour, at the launch ceremony.

"Portugal tourism will provide support to China travel agents, including local travel resources and first-hand information to promote Portugal as a tourism destination," says Ana Mendes Godinho, a senior Portugal tourism official.

Tour operators will continue to develop new and high-quality products to Portugal, raise the awareness of Portugal as a tourism destination and increase the number of tourists to Portugal through online and offline channels, she says.

"We will continue to promote Portugal as a destination in the China market, implement campaigns with local tour operators and host workshops in China in order to create more awareness about Portugal," Godinho says.

Chinese travelers to Portugal have been increasing in recent years.

Chinese tourists paid 200,000 visits to the country in 2016, up 20 percent over the previous year.

And compared with before, Chinese travelers now pay more attention to the quality of the travel product and the travel experience, the tourism authority reports.

In addition, Chinese travelers now spend more on accommodation, dining and entertainment, the authority says.

Meanwhile, Portugal has come up with a number of measures to cater to the needs of Chinese visitors.

A direct flight connecting Hangzhou, Beijing and the country's capital Lisbon was launched in July. The flight is run by Beijing Capital Airlines, and is the first of its kind to connect China and Portugal. It now runs three times a week.

The flight has been 85 percent full since its launch, according to Godinho.

"There are talks about increasing the number of weekly flights," she says.

Separately, first-hand travel information is offered on the tourism authority's social media accounts, including WeChat and Weibo. And interactive activities have also been held online to enable better understanding of the country.

Portugal is a relatively small country and therefore very easy to travel around. One can have breakfast in Lisbon, and travel three hours to Porto, one of the top European destinations in the north for lunch.

Lisbon features an exquisite mix of modern life, history and cultural treasures, while Porto and Norte feature Port wines and views of the Douro River.

The center of the country is known for its charming old towns and traditional cuisine.

Algarve resembles a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts with golden sand beaches, golf and water sports, while the Azores islands are well known for their lush green volcanoes with lakes and the ocean.

yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/18/2017 page22)