Augusto Santos Silva said at the end of an extraordinary meeting of the Social Consultation, that had Brexit as a main point on the agenda, that British citizens' rights in Portugal would be respected.

He added that the country would not request visas, and would have channels dedicated to visitors arriving from the United Kingdom in airports in Faro and Funchal.

Santos Silva also said he hoped Portuguese citizens working and living in the United Kingdom and Portuguese tourists would have reciprocity.

He said measures were being adopted for after 29 March and that the contingency plan could be updated at any time.

A boost in resources will be needed in ports, airports and in other locations where customs control and control of people will take place, he pointed out.

Also, small and medium companies will have credit lines and there will be incentives to support them in adapting to post-Brexit conditions, he said.

The chairman of the Portuguese Tourism Confederation, Francisco Calheiros, noted that he was "very concerned" with the impact Brexit will have on tourism, which he said was already being felt profoundly.

According to Calheiros, overnight stays of British tourists in 2016 grew around 10% in Portugal, but in 2017 no growth was registered and the latest figures available for October revealed a 9% drop.

Portugal’s prime minister has expressed regret at the rejection by the UK parliament of a deal regarding the country’s departure from the European Union, saying that he hopes the UK authorities "quickly” announce their next steps to avoid a disorderly Brexit.