English fans flock to Porto

As thousands of English football fans flock to Portugal's city of Porto for Saturday's Champions League final, hotels and bars are hoping the tourism boost will be a prelude to their emergence from a collapse brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

People were seen taking pictures next to an inflatable model of the Champions League cup in Porto's central Aliados square.

Standing in the lobby of the NH Collection hotel in the heart of Porto, general manager Francisco Brito could not hide his happiness. His hotel is fully booked for the first time in months thanks to the clash between Manchester City and Chelsea, he said.

"It is definitely a boost for most hotels," Brito told Reuters as a couple checked in behind him. "No one ever thought we could experience such a brutal hit ... it is a huge satisfaction to be back in business."

Although most of the 16,500 fans who will be allowed into the stadium will have to complete the trip within 24 hours of the final. The fans coming to Porto for Saturday's Champions League final will not have to stay in bubbles and will not face restrictions on movement during their limited stay, Portuguese police said on Thursday.

"The borders are open. The city and the country are opening up little by little. Within what is possible, freedom (of movement) will not be conditioned," Porto police Superintendent Cardoso da Silva told a news briefing.