Braga: ‘Best European Destination 2021’

 In AWARD, News, Tourism

Portugal’s northern city of Braga, one of the country’s most important religious and historical centres, has been elected ‘Best European Destination to Visit in 2021’ by European Best Destinations.

The organisation based in Brussels is a tourism promoter for Europe and designation was based on more than 109,000 votes collected from those who took part in the survey, notching up 31,000 more votes than Rome.
The city, founded by the Roman Emperor Augustus Cesar, collected 109,902 votes from internauts, consolidating its position as a destination of excellence and a reference in international tourism.
In recent years the city has become a popular tourist destination for Catholic religious tourists and is also famous for its annual Roman festival ‘Bracara Augusta Roman Festival,’ a historical reenactment, which transforms the city’s historical centre and its citizens into a living tableaux of the city’s glorious ancient past. (Photo: José Olgon)
The distinction is the “crowning moment for Braga City Council’s policy to promote Braga as a brand internationally” says Mayor Ricardo Rio who also highlights the part played by the many Portuguese spread over the world, not to mention the hard work and efforts of the city itself, its institutions, and the Braga residents themselves.
“We are so immensely proud of this and this award will certainly have an extremely important knock-on effect in terms of tourism, the local and regional economy and Portugal as a whole in the coming years.”
He said that from now on, Braga would be featured in the most reputable tourism publication all over the world which would make the city a sought after destination internationally by millions of tourists.
Of the final lists of 20 destinations voted on, the first 15 will feature on the website ‘European Best Destination’ which is a reference for thousands of visitors who use the information on the site to help them choose their next place to visit.
The other 15 cities features were: Rome, Cavtat, Florence, Sibiu, Paris, Kotor, Soca Valley, Canary Islands, Tubingen, Dordogne, Tahiti, Capri, Ghent.