The number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal surpassed eight million in January-June, making it the best first half on record, official data showed on Monday. The National Statistics Institute said nearly 8.2 million foreigners stayed in Portuguese hotels in the period, up from 6.3 million a year ago and 7.4 million in the first six months of 2019, a record year for tourism before the COVID-19 pandemic crippled global travel in 2020. In June, the United States, which has significantly grown as a source of tourism to Portugal, represented the second-largest group of foreign visitors.