Portugal is the Best European Destination in 2022

Portugal was once again considered the best European destination, according to the World Travel Awards, the "Oscar" of world tourism.

Reading: 3 min

Portugal was elected, once again, the best European destination, according to the World Travel Awards. The prestigious travel industry award, known as the “Oscar” of tourism, recognizes every year the leaders in the tourism, airline and hotel sectors. In the European edition, Portugal shone, winning 30 awards in several categories, and being considered the best destination in the continent, for the fifth time in the last six years. The country had already achieved this feat in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Paiva Walkway voted best adventure attraction — *Passadiços do Paiva: Best Adventure Tourism Attraction*

The award for Best Beach Destination in Europe went to the Algarve, as had already happened in previous editions. The trophy for Best City Destination, which in recent years went to Moscow, Russia, went to Porto, in the north of the country. The Azores also kept the highlight as Adventure Destination. The Portuguese capital, Lisbon, won in the categories Best Coastal Metropolitan Destination, Best City Break Destination and Best Cruise Destination. In addition, the work developed by the National Tourist Authority, one of those responsible for promoting the country as a travel destination, was also highlighted in the awards, taking the “Oscar” for Best Tourism Authority in Europe.

The World Travel Awards have been held since 1993, and are divided among ten world regions, with the aim of stimulating competitiveness and quality in tourism. The 29th European edition took place in a ceremony in Mallorca, in October this year. The world award ceremony is scheduled for November 11, 2022, in Oman. It is worth noting that in last year’s world edition, Portugal won 12 awards. It is expected that this number will be surpassed this year.

Tourism in Portugal continues to grow

In August 2022, Portuguese tourist accommodation welcomed 3.4 million guests and recorded 9.9 million overnight stays, according to the INE (National Statistics Institute). These are the highest figures ever recorded in the country. In the first eight months of the year, 19.4 million guests and 52.8 million overnight stays were recorded, meaning increases of 122 percent and 121.6 percent, respectively. The data confirms that tourism in Portugal is back to pre-pandemic levels and is an extremely coveted destination right now.

Do you want to live in the best European destination? Find out how this can be possible.