The number of overnight stays by the tourists in the European country Portugal dropped by 98.3 percent to nearly 71,000 last month from the last year, showing that the sector collapsed as lockdowns were imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19 that grounded flights and kept the visitors away.
The National Statistics Institute (INE) said in its flash estimate overnight stays by Britons, the main source of tourism for Portugal, fell 99.3 percent in April compared to the same period in 2019.
Portugal Tourism Sector Affected by Coronavirus
The coronavirus outbreak has created a major stir around the world in recent times claiming the lives of more than 360,000 people worldwide and has infected over 5.8 million people globally in more than 170 countries.
The virus that originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan located in the Hubei province is currently spreading like wildfire. The US is the worst affected nation in the world followed by Brazil and Russia. The countries are slowly lifting the lockdown restrictions to restart their economy.
(With agency inputs)
