Calheiros said that Lisbon airport is at breaking point in terms of capacity, and another airport is needed to ensure more routes and more tourists, and also ensure that Portugal does not lose out to other more competitive destinations.
The tourism chief believes there is an excess of tourists in some parts of the country and so plans have to be drawn up to balance the supply better.
“Portugal wants to be a quality destination, but we have no shows brought in especially for tourists or a shopping centre with top-end domestic products. […] This is a moment that we might never see again and we have to try and balance these challenges or miss the boat”, he reflected.
It was revealed at the Shopping, Tourism & Economy Lisbon Summit 2018 that the Chinese spend more than any other tourists, with average spending of about €642 a day, followed by tourists from the US with €506 and Angolans (€252 euros).