China National Tourism Administration is to launch a promotional campaign in Portugal, which it hopes will increase tourism between the two countries. It expects the number of Chinese tourists visiting Portugal to increase by 30 percent, Portuguese online news outlet Dinheiro Vivo reported.

The campaign – called “China, as you’ve never seen it before” – is related to China’s “2015, Year of the Silk Road” initiative.

Beijing’s publicity drive includes promotional activities in the press and in outdoor media, as well as the launching of a new official website in Portuguese, with information on places to visit in China.

Speaking to media outlet Dinheiro Vivo, Zhiyun Zhang, director of the China National Tourism Administration’s representative office in Spain, said Beijing expects the new promotional campaign to increase by 6 percent the number of Portuguese visitors to China.

The news report did not mention when China expects the two targets to be reached. China National Tourism Administration also did not reveal how much it invested in the campaign within Portugal.

Meanwhile, Portugal Tourism – a Government body under the Ministry of Economy – launched a new edition of its training programme “Welcoming China”. It aims to prepare tourism professionals in Portugal to receive Chinese tourists.

The new course, to be taught in tourism schools in Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto, will start in October.

Last year 52,000 Portuguese tourists visited China – a 5.9 percent increase on 2013. In 2014 a total of 24,000 Chinese were first-time visitors to Portugal, a 33.9 percent year-on-year increase in first time outbound travellers to that market, according to China National Tourism Administration.