He said that Lisbon airport was at breaking point in terms of capacity and another airport was needed to ensure more routes and more tourists to ensure that Portugal did not lose out to other more competitive destinations.

There was an excess of tourists in some parts of the country and so plans have to be drawn up to balance the supply better, he said.

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 may not be repeated and we have to try and balance these challenges or miss the boat, he added.

The Shopping, Tourism & Economy Lisbon Summit 2018 said today 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).