Portugal heads for record year in tourism

LISBON - The number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal jumped around 13 percent over January-July, putting the country firmly on track for another record year for tourism, which has been a key driver of its economic recovery since a 2011-14 debt crisis.

The National Statistics Institute said on Thursday in its monthly data on the hotel sector that more than 7.1 million foreign visitors stayed in Portuguese hotels through July, which helped drive total hotel revenues over 17 percent higher to 1.8 billion euros ($2.14 billion).

Portugal's arrivals growth outpaced those in neighboring Spain, which chalked up a 11 percent rise in the same period, according to official Spanish data.