In the upcoming December edition of the magazine, Travel + Leisure editor Nathan Lump writes that Portugal is “exhibiting a dynamism that feels fresh and distinctive.”
It highlights Portugal’s recovery from the economic downturn, explaining that “the nation’s bounce-back has long been underway, but the past couple of years seem to have been a turning point, and the data proves it.”
Quoting The Portugal News, the piece brings into play an article published in February this year, which reported “foreign tourism to Portugal grew by a record-breaking 10 percent in 2015 and 2016 is expected to improve even further.”
“Just a few years ago, Portugal’s future was looking dim. At the peak of Europe’s debt crisis, the country teetered on the edge of bankruptcy, its economy more crippled than it had been in almost 40 years. (...) But in the wake of the crash, Portugal has managed to flourish anew,” Travel + Leisure’s piece stresses, praising how, when “austerity measures dried up government funding for cultural initiatives, artists and entrepreneurs turned to their communities to drum up support.”
“ As buildings and factories closed, art collectives and locally- run businesses opened up in their place, and the world slowly started to take note. In some small way, the crash may even have helped the nation’s tourism industry: The country remained markedly less expensive for travelers than most of its European neighbors, a contrast that’s particularly evident in Portugal’s resort towns and cultural capitals, which have seen a growing number of visitors in recent years”, it continues.
Travel + Leisure based the choosing of its ‘Destination of the Year’ on “places that feel exciting, that warrant rediscovery, that have come into their own and stepped onto the international stage in some new way.”
“In 2016, Portugal was a natural fit”, it enthuses.
Given the magazine’s primarily north American readership, it also highlighted the notable growth in U.S. travel to the country, explaining “this October, a 119 percent growth in North American bookings helped Portuguese airline TAP to achieve the best October in its 60-year history.”
Singed out in the lengthy, in-depth article are attractions such as the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon and the family-friendly Martinhal Lisbon Chiado Family Suites, “Cristiano Ronaldo’s new hotel, the Pestana CR7”, and Lisbon’s Belém neighbourhood and its famous Pasteis de Belém.
It also mentions “the seaside town of Comporta”, its fresh seafood and luxury beach huts; the “Douro Valley and its terraced vineyard’s”, the “oceanfront city of Porto”, and the piece makes a special mention of the Azores archipelago, “a bucket-list-worthy destination for adventure travellers.”
In a particularly flattering nod to Portugal, the piece encourages: “There’s something for everyone in this little country — and there’s never been a better time to go.”