(TAN): Portugal was crowned the ‘World’s Leading Destination’ at the World Travel Awards 2019 for the third consecutive year.
The award was announced in the grand final gala ceremony held in Muscat, Oman.
Turismo de Portugal too clinched the title of the ‘World’s Leading Tourism Board 2019’ for the third time. While Lisbon became the ‘World’s Leading City Break Destination 2019’, Madeira Island won the award for the ‘Best Island Destination in the World’ for the fifth year in a row.
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Portugal picked up a total of 12 awards at the World Travel Awards 2019.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the global body representing the private sector of the tourism industry, the sector grew 8.1% in 2018, contributing EUR 38.4 billion (USD 42.65 approximately) to the Portuguese economy. Research conducted by WTTC showed that 20% of Portugal’s economy was earned from tourism, and 21.8% of all jobs in the country came from the sector which employed 1.05 million people.
WTTC also predicted that Portugal’s tourism sector will grow 5.3% in 2019, more than double the European average of 2.5%.
Over a million Americans are reportedly expected to visit the country in 2019. As per reports, a record 685,200 tourists from the United States visited Portugal in 2017, representing a 35.3% increase from 2016, and grew over 20% in 2018 with 828,3000 visitors from the United States. Until August 2019, 763,000 Americans had reportedly visited Portugal, growing nearly 20% over the first eight months of 2018 on its way to touching the one million mark.
“The word-of-mouth among Americans is huge,” President of Turismo de Portugal, Luis Araujo was quoted by the Travel Market Report as saying.
The other awards that the country won at the World Travel Awards 2019 include:
- World’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction 2019 – Passadiços do Paiva (Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark), Portugal
- World’s Leading Conservation Company 2019 – Parques de Sintra – Monte da Lua, Portugal
- World’s Leading Airline to Africa 2019 – TAP Air Portugal
- World’s Leading Airline to South America 2019 – TAP Air Portugal
- World’s Leading Inflight Magazine 2019 – Up Magazine (TAP Air Portugal)
- World’s Leading Golf & Villa Resort 2019 – Dunas Douradas Beach Club, Portugal
- World’s Leading Classic Hotel 2019 – Olissippo Lapa Palace Hotel, Portugal, and
- World’s Leading Boutique Hotel Operator 2019 – Amazing Evolution Management, Portugal
Portugal had won ‘Europe’s Leading Destination’ award at the European Gala Ceremony held in the Madeira Islands earlier this year.
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