Portugal receives three awards, with Madeira being chosen as the Best Cruise Destination in Europe
The Lisbon Cruise Terminal won the award for “Best Cruise Terminal in Europe”, awarded by World Cruise Awards, distinction that demonstrates the “growing importance” of infrastructure for tourism and the city, was released today. In these same awards, Madeira was chosen as “Best Cruise Destination in Europe” and Portugal was recognized as the “Best River Cruise Destination in Europe”.
Lisbon won the award for “Best Cruise Terminal in Europe”, in a category in which the terminals of Civitavecchia, Amsterdam, Limassol, Malaga, Barcelona, Kiel, Monaco, Oslo, Rostock-Warnemunde, Portsmouth, Valletta and Zadar, said the Administration of the Port of Lisbon (APL) in a statement.
APL stressed that this award is a “reason for pride” and “proof of the growing importance of the port and the terminal for tourism and for the city”.
“This distinction highlights the exceptional conditions that Lisbon has to accommodate ships and cruise passengers with ever-increasing demands, thus providing an excellent service to those visiting the Portuguese capital”, highlighted António Caracol, administrator of the Port of Lisbon, mentioned in the statement.
António Caracol also underlined that the prize awarded to the Lisbon Cruise Terminal, inaugurated in November 2017 and whose overall cost amounted to around 28 million euros, is important at a stage when APL is developing a set of actions in a “strategy of promotion and qualification of the cruise industry in the city”, as well as in terms of sustainability.
“We strongly believe that Lisbon — as a port and cruise destination — guarantees a sustainable response to present and future challenges,” he added.
Designed by architect Carrilho da Graça, the Lisbon Cruise Terminal has an area of 13,800 m2 and a 1,490-metre-long pier capable of receiving ships of various types and sizes with a draft of up to 12 metres.
Portugal was distinguished as the Best River Cruise Destination in Europe in 2022 and Madeira was elected as “Best Cruise Destination in Europe”.
“Madeira is the big winner of the World Cruise Awards in the category of ‘Best European Cruise Destination'”, says a note released by the Regional Secretariat for the Economy, adding that “this was the first time that the autonomous region was nominated, so spontaneous, for the organization of the competition”.
According to the Madeiran executive, this award was based on “continuous work carried out over the last few years by APRAM — Administration of the Ports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, namely during the pandemic, which forced constant reinvention and adaptation to respond to the new market requirements”.
In 2021, the new signature “Your Safe Port” (“O Seu Porto Seguro” in Portuguese) was also created and publicized and the commitment to a close relationship with shipping companies and partners in the various sectors was confirmed.
“The good results are demonstrated by the stopovers achieved this year, which demonstrate that Madeira is a consolidated and recognized destination”, is underlined in the note.
Between January and October 2022, the archipelago’s ports received 227 stopovers and more than 250,000 passengers.
In 2021, in total for the year, 125 scales were recorded and a movement of 117,289 passengers.
“In addition to all these measures, the strong investment accepted in the Port of Funchal, worth more than six million euros, which allowed, for example, the construction of the new terminal on quay six, the replacement of the mooring bollards on the south quay, alongside the reinforcement of the protective mantle of the port of Funchal”, complements the Regional Government.
For the regional secretary for the Economy, this distinction awarded to Madeira “recognises, rewards and celebrates excellence in the global cruise sector”.
Quoted in the note, Rui Barreto highlights the “recognition of the work carried out in the region in recent years in favor of cruise tourism, which has allowed Madeira to occupy a prominent place at national level in terms of the number of stopovers, as well as passengers”.
The official recalls that “the Port of Funchal was the first port to open at national level after the covid to receive cruise ships, after meeting all the conditions in terms of equipment and infrastructure, in order to guarantee that it was a gateway safe”.
In turn, the chairman of the board of directors of APRAM, Paula Cabaço, considered that “this distinction is a source of great pride, reflecting the success of the new strategy carried out by the Ports of Madeira in the wake of covid”.
The official pointed out that the measures adopted allowed “rebuilding the confidence of cruise tourists, stimulating demand and keeping the region at the top of people with a desire for European cruise tourism”.
“This distinction will certainly bring very positive results for the future that lies ahead”, concludes the president of APRAM, also mentioned in the statement.
The World Cruise Awards, launched in 2021, aim to recognize excellence in the global cruise sector, being a “sister” event of the World Travel Awards, which distinguish the best examples of good practices in the Tourism sector, can be read in the note of press.
News updated at 10:28 on Nov 22
