Tourism in Portugal continues to grow apace and one of the biggest contributing factors has been the number of Chinese visitors coming to the country. The Portuguese government estimates that 70% more tourists from China came in 2014 than the previous year, and that 100,000 of them will come to Portuguese shores in 2015.
Separate figures show that Chinese tourists spend more in Portugal per head than any other nation. The data from consultancy Global Blue show that Chinese tourists spent €935 per purchase on average in 2014, over three times more than Angolan tourists and over four times more than Russian tourists.
“In Portugal, Chinese shopping tourists are already at the top of the list of customers who spend most per purchase,” said the consultancy in a recently published study.
Chinese investors comprise the vast majority of the participants in Portugal’s ‘Golden Visa’ scheme which offers residence rights for investments over €500,000 and shrewd shopping centres, attractions and property companies have begun wooing visitors from China by advertising in Chinese.
