Portugal started 2014 with a bang having been considered one of the best holiday destinations by British travel association ABTA.
The country was included in ABTA’s ‘Travel Trends Report 2014’, prepared in association with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which confirmed that “British holidaymakers have always loved Portugal” and highlighted that the visitor numbers went up by more than 8% in 2013.
“With new direct flights in 2014 to the main cities Lisbon and Porto, savvy holidaymakers will be heading off to these two beautiful and historic towns for a city break with a difference,” the report reads, with a special mention of the Algarve.
“The Algarve has year-round good climate and remains the main draw for UK holidaymakers, with surfers and more adventurous holidaymakers heading for the big waves and dramatic coves of Europe’s most south westerly point Sagres.”
ABTA did not forget the Alentejo region, which the association described as “an area of outstanding natural beauty with eucalyptus forests criss-crossed by rivers, cork and olive groves”, nor the “UNESCO World Heritage site university town of Coimbra and the mysterious Templar town, Tomar”.
Portugal’s renowned gastronomy was mentioned and the association considered it “one of the best and most underrated in Europe”.
Other countries or areas in ABTA’s list of best holiday destinations were Brazil, the Caribbean (Antigua), Costa Rica, Greece, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, the Pacific Coast and Baja, Oman, Slovenia, Sicily, Italy and the USA (Texas/New Mexico/Alaska).
Mark Tanzer, ABTA Chief Executive, said: “We know that Brits hate to cut back on their holidays and after several years of tough market conditions, we are seeing early signs of more optimism amongst British consumers.
However, with the squeeze on household budgets continuing, we are expecting that tried and tested destinations and package holidays will continue to perform well in the coming year. We are also expecting a range of other overseas destinations to prove popular in 2014, as well as another good year for domestic tourism after the heatwave in the UK in summer 2013.”
John Heppenstall, from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said: “ABTA’s report suggests that British nationals will be travelling more in 2014. While the vast majority of these holidays are likely to be trouble-free, we continue to urge British travellers to prepare properly before they pack their bags – through simple steps such as investing in comprehensive travel insurance, taking the necessary health precautions and researching the local laws and customs of their destination.”
