PORTUGAL-TOURISM-HERITAGE-ECONOMY

A landscape of the city of Elvas, in Alentejo, near the border with Spain, on January 30, 2018, where the next luxury hotel of Vila Gal hotel group is being built of a former convent then military court.Portugal, where tourism has become the main engine of the economy, relies on the concession of its historical heritage to private groups to diversify its offer and attract visitors throughout the year - To attract visitors to places not currently on their radar, and help ensure a constant year-round flow of tourists, Portugal's socialist government is leasing abandoned monasteries, forts and other historic sites to private groups to be turned into hotels and other leisure centres. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP) (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)