Portugal voted “Hottest Destination” of 2018

Portugal was voted the “Hottest Destination” of 2018 at the Virtuoso Awards.

The awards, organised by an international network of luxury travel agents, states that Portugal was gaining ground as a luxury tourist destination, particularly for United States travellers.

The ceremony which gave the award was held in Las Vegas. Virtuoso is a network of the best luxury travel agencies, with more than 17,500 advisors worldwide. It represents the best of the best in travel, with a portfolio of nearly 1,700 preferred partners — top hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, and more. Its advisors use global connections to plan the most memorable experiences for their clients, from weekend getaways to dream vacations.

Visitors from the United States market increased 35% in 2017 according to the Portuguese tourism office Turismo de Portugal, a trend which has continued this year.

“In the first half of 2018 we welcomed 354,000 United States visitors, up 21% on the same period in 2017 which makes us extremely optimistic for the year as a whole” says Luís Araújo, President of Turismo de Portugal.

“Portugal has taken on a leading role in the luxury tourism market which is important for its position as a destination par excellence,” adds Luís Araújo.

The Portuguese tourist office says that its goal is to not just increase the number of US citizens visiting Portugal on holiday but get them to consider Portugal as a place to live and invest. As such, the US market is part of Portugal’s Tourism Strategy 2027 where projected targets are defined in terms of tourism.