Luo Huining (right), Party chief of Shanxi province, talks with visitors during the Avante Festival held from Sept 7 to 9 in Portugal. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

A tourism promotion conference held in Lisbon, capital of Portugal, on Sept 7, saw new partnership agreements between North China's Shanxi province and Portugal in the tourism sector.

During the conference, major travel agencies from Shanxi province signed tourist resource exchange agreements with seven travel agencies from Portugal, Spain and Germany.

Shanxi Provincial Tourism Development Commission and Lisbon International Tourism Festival, Shanxi Culture and Tourism Group and the Portuguese Overseas Chinese Federation, reached agreements on tourism collaboration.

The conference was held as part of the Shanxi delegation's visit to Portugal, one of the European stops on the Shanxi Brands Silk Road Tour 2018.

During the visit from Sept 7 to 9, the delegation also took part in the Avante Festival, Portugal’s largest political gathering consisting of political, cultural and recreational events.

This year's festival attracted over 300,000 visitors, with many heading for the China section organized by Shanxi. Various exhibitions, cultural shows, and souvenir stalls in the China exhibition hall drew over 50,000 visitors in the first two days of the festival.

There are increasing links between Shanxi and Portugal, as both are important tourism and cultural destinations, said Luo Huining, Party chief of Shanxi province and head of the delegation.

The inland province has been furthering opening up with tourism revenues currently growing at an annual rate of 20 percent.

To further boost tourism, Shanxi is willing to work with Portugal in promoting travel itineraries, products, and tour guide services, said Luo.

And in a further sign of cooperation between the two sides, Vanda Sequeira, a diplomatic advisor to Portugal's president, promised there would be more tourism partnerships in the future.