The Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, in the Alentejo, was one of the award-winning destinations as attributed by the European Commission in the  European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS), as a zone free from light pollution allowing unique “night sky” observation opportunities. Over 100 destinations took part in the ETIS pilot phase to help build a unified European approach to measuring and monitoring how well sustainable and accessible tourism is (...)

Vilamoura beach, in Loulé council, is the winner of the “More Accessible Beach” Award, attributed by the National Rehabilitation Institute. This award is recognition of Loulé Municipal Council’s commitment to best practices in relation to accessibility and quality in the support provided to people with mobility difficulties during the 2015 bathing season on this beach. Vilamoura Beach, managed by Vilamoura World, is a welcoming beach with a vast (...)

The “Design For All” Foundation has attributed the “Sintra Parks Welcome Better” project organised by Sintra - Monte da Lua Parks with the good practices award in the category of “Spaces, products and services”. As well as Sintra Parks, another 22 candidates from several countries were in the running for this award. The “Parques de Sintra Acolhem Melhor” (Sintra Parks Welcome Better) project intends to make it easier for the public to benefit (...)

On 19 March, Portugal was attributed two more Biosphere Reserves, bringing its number up to 10 Biosphere Reserves out of the total of 669 in the World Network covering 120 countries. Portugal has 3 of the world’s 16 Cross-Border Biosphere Reserves, in a good example of cooperation with Spain and which emphasises the importance of the network in organising this Programme, bringing all the benefits derived from making contact, sharing and (...)

Celebrate International Museum Day on the 18th of May. As happens every year, International Museum Day will be celebrated on the forthcoming 18th of May. The initiative is promoted by ICOM – the International Council of Museums. In Portugal, museums will be marking the event by organising an array of initiatives and activities intended to let people see a different side of the museums they visit. This is an opportunity to visit areas of the (...)

The Michelin Guide for Spain and Portugal has announced the selection for 2016, in which Portugal has retained its 17 Michelin stars in 14 Portuguese restaurants, albeit with certain changes. In this edition, the restaurant L’And Vineyards in Montemor-o-Novo in the Alentejo region lost its star, but there was a new entry on the list, earned by chef Rui Silvestre at the Bon Bon restaurant in Carvoeiro in the Algarve.  Despite a change of chefs in (...)