For the first time, Portugal has won the prestigious title of “Best Destination in Europe”, the travel industry's Oscar, at the annual World Travel Awards in St. Petersburg, Russia. The second big winner was the Algarve, which once again won the “Best European Beach Destination” award.
Algarve - “Best European Beach Destination”
With a total of 20 prizes for Portugal as a whole and 14 victories at national level, the country's importance as a leading travel destination in Europe was impressively underlined. The election was held for the 24th time and this year's host of the ceremony was Russia. The World Travel Awards competition was founded in 1993 to evaluate and celebrate the global tourism and hospitality sectors.
Portugal's Tourism State Secretary Ana Mendes Godinho, who accepted the awards, spoke proudly of a great honor for the country. “The award is the result of everyone’s commitment to making Portugal an excellent tourist destination, with a unique, diverse offer throughout the country."
State Secretary Godinho continued to see the award as a “clear indication that we are on the right track when it comes to presenting our diversity.” As the tourism authority quickly calculated, Portugal received the most World Travel Awards 2017 in Europe - almost a third of all honors and 13 more than in 2016.
Photo by worldtravelawards.com
