Augusto Santos Silva on Wednesday (3 June) told the BBC Brits would be "most welcome" in Portugal this summer, if an agreement can be reached.

The UK is poised to introduce quarantine on arrival measures on 8 June, which would require all new arrivals to self-isolate for two weeks.

The controversial policy is set to be laid before MPs in the Commons on Wednesday, where it is expected to come under fierce scrutiny.

Writing jointly in The Telegraph in defence of the policy on Wednesday, home secretary Priti Patel and transport secretary Grant Shapps insisted the policy was necessary.

However, the piece concedes the government is working with the transport sector to explore bilateral agreements with other countries, or air bridges, "so we can go abroad and tourists can come here".

Ministers are expected to back an initial three-week quarantine period starting 8 June, which could subsequently be superseded by air bridge agreements with countries with lower rates of coronavirus infection.

This would allow Brits returning to the UK from specific countries or destinations, or on specific routes, to forego the two-week self-isolation "quarantine" requirement.

Santos Silva told the BBC quarantine "was an enemy of tourism", echoing comments made by Red Savannah founder George Morgan-Grenville during an Elman Wall seminar on Tuesday.

Morgan-Grenville, whose campaign against the UK’s quarantine requirement has been backed by more than 300 travel firms in a matter of days, said: "Where there is the ’Q word’, people are just too fearful to book [holidays]."

The Portuguese minister added new rules on social distancing in tourist hotspots and a new "clean and safe" standard adopted by thousands of businesses in Portugal would guarantee the safety of any visitors this summer, with the country keen to restart its vital tourism industry as soon as possible.

Portugal will not impose quarantine on arrivals, and will instead rely on temperature checks at airports. It is also considering random testing of passengers.

Portugal has recorded just shy of 33,000 coronavirus cases, and 1,436 deaths, after imposing strict lockdown measures in early March. It began lifting these measures last month, and now already reopened many popular tourism destinations and facilities.

Beaches in the Algarve region, a favourite for Brits, are due to reopen at the weekend with a 1.5-metre social distancing rule. There will also be clear new signage to enforce social distancing, while coronavirus cases and infection will be monitored via an app.