Portugal won 3 World Travel Awards in the 2014 Grand Final Ceremony

In the 2014 World Travel Awards Grand Final hosted last December 7th, in the CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa in Anguilla, Portugal won 3 World Travel Awards. 

The winners were:
- World's Leading Conservation Company:  Parques de Sintra - Monte da Lua, Portugal

- World's Leading Fine Dining Hotel Restaurant:  Vila Joya Hotel Restaurant ,Vila Joya, Portugal

- World's Leading Luxury Leisure Resort:   Conrad Algarve, Portugal


Congratulations to all the winners! 

More information at http://www.worldtravelawards.com/winners2014

Source: World Travel Awards

The "Cante Alentejano" (Alentejo Song), now recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO

Portugal has, in its cultural heritage, a very genuine musical expression, unique in the world, the "Cante Alentejano" (Alentejo Song), now recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Sung in choir and without any use of musical instruments, by groups of men and women, the "Cante Alentejano" is a popular manifestation which is a feature of several municipalities in the district of Beja, in the region historically known as Baixo Alentejo. However, it was the Municipality of Serpa which took the initiative to register it as World Heritage in conjunction with the Alentejo Regional Tourism Entity.

Although it is currently maintained by choral groups, some of them already centenarians, it always happened in informal contexts, while working in the field or during times of celebration. The lyrics speak of feelings and everyday moments.

Although it is not specific to any Genre or social status, it is often associated with the rural classes that formed in a region where agricultural industrialisation and mining extraction developed during the late 19th and 20th centuries. The first choral group arose in 1926, associated with the workers of the Mines of São Domingos, today deactivated. This initiative was followed by a second group in Serpa, in 1927.

When visiting the region, take a look at the cultural agenda to see if a show is scheduled, but be especially aware as it can happen spontaneously in any tavern or recreation association, during a moment of relaxation after a day’s work. The creation of routes and Cante Houses is planned so that you can enjoy this unique expression.

A good way to get to know the "Cante Alentejano" is to watch the documentary “Alentejo, Alentejo”, by Sérgio Tréfaut. Produced also to support the application for World Heritage, it was the Best Portuguese Film at the Lisboa 2014 Indie Festival and the Best Film DOCSBarcelona+Medelín 2014. 


Alentejo Alentejo (long trailer HD) EN version from Faux on Vimeo.

New Contemporary Portugal Guide by Turismo de Portugal

The touristic appeal of territories combines both the built and immaterial historic heritage with the most creative and innovative interventions. As far as tourists are concerned, they are more open to exploring new experiences and discovering different aspects of places, which enrich their journey and make it unforgettable.

The Contemporary Portugal Guide highlights 4 areas related to contemporaneity and innovation: Contemporary Architecture and Art, Design and Events.

Here you will find a very careful and justified selection of over 150 resources and events throughout the entire country.

In the Architecture selection, the Portuguese Architects Association invited Pedro Campos Costa to elect 40 places that are proof of the vitality and quality of Portuguese architecture today – public and private spaces, used for different purposes but which can be deeply experienced.

In the Contemporary Art, the Portuguese Section of the International Association of Art Critics gave Rui Mário Gonçalves the responsibility for selecting some of the main spaces (museums, galleries, art centres) which enable the individuality, cosmopolitanism, lyricism and subtlety of the Portuguese art to be discovered.
The selection for the area on Design has been handled by Bárbara Coutinho, the director of MUDE, the Museum of Design and Fashion, who focuses on the interiors of various types of spaces that are and always will be symbols of contemporaneity and unique enjoyment.

With regards to Events, we have selected some which regularly bring to the regions the national and international trends in Cinema, Dance, Photography, Music, Theatre and in the various Crossover Arts. An events calendar which is an excellent complement to any tourist visit, resulting from a significant investment in compiling a varied and appealing programme.
We have produced this Guide dedicated to contemporaneity, aiming to provide new proposals to (re) discover Portugal, which make it easier to compile tourist programmes, content and services that can attract new and greater audiences.

The tips for visits suggested in the Guide resulting from the justified choices of our partners, are not exhaustive within the universe of existing contemporary expressions, but rather serve as a primary purpose for travelling.

New Equestrian Tourism Guide by Turismo de Portugal

Portugal has one of the most admired breeds of horse due to its characteristics in bullfighting, dressage and leisure activities – the Lusitano Thoroughbred. The Lusitano Horse is of Portuguese origin and enjoys huge international prestige due to its purity, beauty and vigour, and is uniquely attractive within the equestrian world.

Portugal's temperate Mediterranean climate guarantees unique conditions for breeding equines and for equestrian activities, from teaching horse riding, to sports competitions, equestrian galas and, of course, different horse riding itineraries, adapted to all the different demand profiles.

Portugal also has a wonderfully rich landscape and is easily accessible by air. It is a safe, hospitable country with qualified human resources and tourist infrastructures.

The Equestrian Tourism Technical Guide provides information on the huge variety on offer in Portugal, in different equestrian spaces with several activities, which are divided between the regions of Oporto and the North, the Centre, Lisbon, the Alentejo and the Algarve.

The Technical Guide aims to be a useful working tool for Portuguese and foreign Travel Agents, as it is a means of acquiring better technical knowledge on the offer available, thereby providing new Equestrian Tourism experiences to their customers in a destination of excellence.

Ryanair: New Base in the Azores

Ryanair, announced today December 5th that it will open its 4th Portuguese base in the Azores from April 2015 with 1 based aircraft and 3 new low fare routes to London (1 x weekly), Lisbon (2 x daily) and Porto (1 x daily).~

3 New Azores Routes 

Route	Start Date
Ponta Delgada – Lisbon	From Apr ‘15
Ponta Delgada – Porto	From Apr ‘15
Ponta Delgada – London	From Apr ‘15

Ryanair is also in discussions with the Government of the Azores about possible services to Terceira and additional international flights to the Islands.

Customers can fly on Ryanair’s twice-daily service to Lisbon and daily service to Porto while enjoying allocated seating, a free 2nd carry-on bag, reduced fees, a new website, a brand new app with mobile boarding passes, and our new Family Extra and Business Plus services, making Ryanair the ideal choice for families, business and leisure travellers.

Ryanair’s 3 new Azores routes go on sale on the Ryanair.com website today at fares from €29.99 one-way for travel in April, May and June and are available for booking until midnight Monday (8 Dec)

Source: Ryanair 

Portugal: Christmas Traditions

In Portugal there is a festive environment  around Christmas, similar to all the other places where this season is celebrated. But most important are the moments that rekindle the spirit of fellowship.

Traditionally families gather on the 24th of December at the dinner table and serve up dishes of cod, although roast turkey and other meat dishes that were enjoyed in the days after have also begun to be part of the menu. For dessert, there is always Bolo Rei (King's Cake) filled with candied fruits or nuts, in addition to delicious traditional fried desserts: "filhós" (traditional deep fried sweet pastry sprinkled with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon), "sonhos" (traditional deep fried sweet soft pastry normally eaten at Christmas) and "rabanadas" (type of French toast).

At midnight we celebrate the Midnight Mass and in churches, as well as at home, there is a special place for the nativity scene, recreating the stable where Jesus was born, an idea of St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century and which is quite common in Portugal.

In some regions, such as Bragança, Guarda and Castelo Branco, a tree is still burnt overnight, a large bonfire in the churchyard. It serves as a meeting place to meet friends and neighbours and wish them a Merry Christmas.

On the 6th of January, on the Three Kings Day, the festivities come to an end with the “Janeiras”. On the street or in monuments and churches, you will hear traditional songs wishing a Happy New Year. 

Destination Madeira promoted on Eurosport

Aiming to promote Madeira internationally, positioning it as an active holiday destination of excellence, blessed by an inimitable natural beauty, Madeira Tourism is conducting another advertising campaign in various Eurosport spots: on TV, on the internet and on mobile phones, whose platform has a daily reach of about 26.5 million viewers and users.

With this promotional action, Destination Madeira aims to attract all active holiday lovers by demonstrating its enormous potential and excellent conditions for the practice of outdoor activities, against a lush nature background. This year, in addition to a microsite entirely dedicated to Madeira, banners and promotional TV spots, Eurosport channel displaced a film crew to the Region to produce an on-the-spot television programme broadcasted in 59 countries and in 20 languages.

Discover a more active Madeira on Eurosport, in www.madeira.eurosport.com

Source: Madeira Tourism