Portugal fields 66 nominations for ‘Tourism Oscars’
Portugal is looking to make a splash yet again at the World Travel Awards after receiving 66 nominations for what many call the ‘Oscars’ of international tourism.
Last year, the country received 17 awards including ‘World’s Leading Destination’ — a title it hopes to retain this year despite fierce competition from countries such as the US, Spain, Greece, Dubai and Brazil.The Algarve is again in the running to be named ‘Leading Beach Destination’ while Madeira is nominated for ‘Leading Island Destination’ and the Azores could be crowned ‘Leading Dive Destination’.
Lisbon fields an impressive five nominations, from best city and city break to best port, cruise destination and city tourist board.Unsurprisingly, the Algarve’s hotel sector accounts for a considerable percentage of the nominations, with Albufeira’s Pine Cliffs Resort and Quinta do Lago’s Conrad Algarve each in the running for eight and seven awards respectively.Vila Joya in Albufeira is also seeking glory, having been nominated for best boutique resort and fine dining hotel restaurant.Also worthy of a mention is Portugal airline TAP, which is vying for four awards, including best airline to Europe, South America and Africa and best inflight magazine (Up Magazine). Having won three of four last year, the airline is hoping to add ‘Leading Airline to Europe’ to its list of accomplishments.
The winners will be announced during a gala event to be held on Thursday, November 28 in Muscat, Oman. The event will also reveal the winners of the Travel Technology segment of the WTA, which includes three Portuguese nominees – TAP (best airline website); VisitPortugal.com (best tourism authority website) and Conrad (best hotel website).Anyone can vote by registering on the WTA website. Voting is open until October 20.The full list of nominees can be found online at https://www.worldtravelawards.com/nominees/2019/world.
