Portuguese monuments, museums, palaces yield some ¥6m

Revenue from monuments, museums and palaces in debt-laden Portugal rose 60 percent in the first half of this year over same period last year, reaching nearly 6 million euros (6.58 million U.S. dollars), Portuguese Lusa News Agency reported on Saturday, citing official figures.

From January to June this year, cultural spaces under Portugal's Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage attracted over 1.8 million visitors and yielded around 5.7 million euros.

Tourists represent two thirds of visitors and revenue was 2 million euros higher than the same period last year, according to the report.

Samuel Rego, deputy director general of Cultural Heritage, told Lusa that cultural tourism is having an impact on tourism in general, adding that the country's cultural tourism has great potential to grow.

Portugal's economy returned back to growth last year after the country signed a 78-billion-euro bailout program with international creditors in 2011. Tourism and export sectors have helped put the country back on track, although public debt still amounts to some 130 percent of GDP.