Thirteen companies involved in bringing tourists to Portugal will visit China in April, said Luís Araújo, President of the Turismo de Portugal institute, a body under Portugal’s Ministry of Economy.

Mr Araújo — who started his new position at the institute last month — was speaking in Beijing to Portuguese news agency Lusa, during a four-day visit to China. He said the Portuguese firms would next month meet with local tourism operators in the Asian nation.

“[April’s visit to China] is a way for the [Portuguese] companies to understand the specific needs of the Chinese tourists,” Mr Araújo explained.

In 2015, the number of Chinese tourists that visited Portugal grew year-on-year 36 percent to “approximately 150,000,” the President of Turismo de Portugal said. On average, Chinese tourists spent the most money on tax-free shopping in Portugal, according to estimates by Global Blue.

Mr Araújo said new centres aimed at issuing visas to Portugal are due to open in five Chinese cities, namely Shenyang, Nanjing, Fuzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu.

Portugal’s Embassy in Beijing has confirmed the country’s new consulate-general in Guangzhou is already “at the final stage”, of development the news report said.

The Turismo de Portugal institute has had a permanent representative in China since 2014, Lusa added.