“We have to value the tourist flow. Today, there is no direct flight from Riyadh to Portugal; we will have to deal with this issue,” commented Castro Almeida, in statements to Lusa at the end of a two-day visit to the Saudi capital.

The minister considered that, “if it is difficult” to connect the capitals of the two countries, “Porto and Faro are alternative destinations”.

“There is a great appetite and a great potential for tourism because Saudis have a very, very high purchasing power and want to travel and want to get to know our country,” he argued.

During his visit to Riyadh, the minister met with the chairman of the board of directors of Expo 2030, an event in which Portugal is expected to participate, he admitted.

“I view our participation here with great interest,” he told Lusa.

In the various meetings he had with different members of the Saudi government and other authorities, the minister was “insistently” approached about Portuguese participation in Expo 2030, to which the country was invited.

Castro Almeida stressed that the Portuguese authorities will analyse this possibility and a final decision “will not take long”.