For the 5th year in a row and 10th time overall, the Algarve region, in the south of Portugal, has been named Europe’s Leading Beach Destination at the World Travel Awards.
The results follow a year-long search for the world’s top travel, tourism and hospitality brands. Votes were cast by travel industry professionals and the public, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named as the winner. Algarve took best beach again, beating Cannes – France, Corfu – Greece, Costa Navarino – Greece, Mallorca – Spain, Marbella – Spain, Porto Santo Island – Portugal and Sardinia – Italy.
Considering it enjoys over 300 sunny days per year and more than a fair share of beautiful beaches, the Algarve is already a widely frequented destination. The extensive coastline, offering plenty of outdoor sea activities, along with numerous restaurants, bars and clubs, create the perfect combination for the dream beach holiday.
The Algarve has beaches to suit all tastes.
André Gomes, Algarve Tourism Bureau President
“The Algarve has beaches to suit all tastes”, said Algarve Tourism Bureau’s President André Gomes at the awards ceremony. “From long, sandy beaches protected by golden cliffs to small bays nestled between rocks and the calm waters of the east coast beaches like Manta Rota and Altura, which are perfect for families. Meanwhile, the west coast beaches of Amado, Bordeira and Monte Clerigo have some of the most scenic and uncrowded in the country and are a go-to destination for surfers. There also famous beach resort towns such as Albufeira, Lagos and Vilamoura, all with fine beaches.”
The most frequented cities in Algarve are Albufeira, Vilamoura and Lagos. Albufeira is known for its two areas, almost completely different from each other: the Strip and the Old Town. The Strip, known as “Rua da Oura” in Portuguese, is a street packed with clubs, pubs, sports bars, each one trying to get the attention of passers-by and convince them to enter. The street roars with the sound of music and it is always happy hour somewhere, it is the best place to be for a fun night out. Whereas the Old Town is just a little quieter. Vilamoura is sometimes considered more a resort, it stands out for its 6 golf courses and the Aquashow park. Laos is a little further away from the previous two and is probably the quietest. While still very lively, it is just not an extremely crowded city.
Portugal has swept the board at the World Travel Awards 2023, winning the coveted awards for Europe’s Leading Destination and Europe’s Leading Beach Destination (for the Algarve coast). In total, Portugal, its regions, its islands and its businesses took home an impressive 23 awards in the European category, winning everything from Leading City Break Destination (Porto) and Leading City (Lisbon) to Leading Island Destination (Madeira Islands).
World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Each year World Travel Awards covers the globe with its Grand Tour – a series of regional gala ceremonies to recognise excellence within each continent, culminating with the winners going head-to-head in a Grand Final at the end of the year.
