Portugal has been granted an award for being the leading destination in Europe for 2023, with this feat marking two consecutive years that the country has been awarded this accolade.
Back in 2021, however, Greece beat out Portugal for the leading destination award, but Portugal has been recognized as the best location to visit on the continent since the year 2017.
As per rankings given by the World Travel Awards, the country has received no less than 22 awards in the current year.
Moreover, Portugal has been recognized for its top-of-the-line resorts, tourism spots, hotels, and airlines.
Adventure Tourist Attraction
Passadiços do Paiva, also known as Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark, has also been recognized as one of the top Adventure Tourist Attractions in Europe.
But this is not the first time the park has received this award. In fact, 2023 is the sixth consecutive year for Passadiços do Paiva to be granted this honor.
The category was introduced back in 2018 by the World Travel Awards, and the accolade has been awarded to the Geopark ever since.
Meanwhile, TAP Air Portugal has been recognized as the Leading Airline in Europe, transporting passengers to South America and Africa.
This is the ninth consecutive year that the airline has been given this award, and it is believed to be the undisputable winner of this category.
Other awards
In addition, the country also managed to snag the award for the top All-Inclusive Resort in Europe. The award was granted to Pestana Porto Santo for the second year in a row.
This award came as no surprise, as resorts across Portugal have been consistently ranked at the top since 2016.
Back in 2014, Portuguese resorts emerged victorious in this category, but with a different spot called Turkish Concorde De Luxe Resort.
Meanwhile, there is no competition for Portugal in the category of the Leading Beach Destination in Europe.
The country has been applauded and appreciated for its Algarve beaches since the year 2012 and has only lost this title thrice.
The first time around, the award was granted to Oludeniz, Turkiye, which was back in 2011. In 2014 and 2018, the honors went to Corfu and Peloponnese, Greece, respectively.
Hospitality
Where the Leading Boutique Hotel in Europe is concerned, Portugal stood at number 1 after having taken the award from Kivotos Mykonos, Greece, which was the winner the previous year.
In 2023, the accolade for Leading City Break Destination in Europe was awarded to Porto, Portugal, while in 2022, Lisbon was granted this honor.
Generally, this award is shared between a number of destinations, such as Geneva, London, Lyon, Saint Petersburg, Athens, Istanbul, along with Lisbon and Porto in Portugal.
Moreover, Lisbon was recognized as the Leading City Destination in Europe for 2023, by beating out Porto, which took the award in the prior year.
Once again, the Lisbon Cruise Port in the country was granted the honor of being recognized as the Leading Cruise Port for the Year, which makes it the eighth time in a row for the port to be on the receiving end of this award.
