Portugal currently has 92 golf courses, spread across various regions
Portugal has won the award for “Best Golf Destination in the World” at the World Golf Awards 2024 in Funchal, and has also scooped the prize for “Best Golf Destination in Europe” for the third year running.
The announcement came on Saturday, with national tourism board Turismo de Portugal attributing the country’s success “to the integrated tourist experience, good air and land accessibility, exceptional hospitality, high-quality sports and hotel infrastructures that cater for different profiles of players (whether professionals or amateurs), and excellent value for money.”
According to the organisation, golf, through its link to tourism, “contributes to an increase in tourist revenue and to the expansion of tourist activity throughout the year and throughout the territory”.
This was the 11th edition of the World Golf Awards, which also awarded several other international and European accolades to Portugal, some of which received by golf courses and resorts in the Algarve, such as Quinta do Lago (Loulé), Palmares (Lagos) and Ombria (Loulé).
In terms of international awards, Portugal received seven: Best Golf Destination – Portugal; Best Emerging Golf Destination – Madeira; Best Golf Course – Terras da Comporta; Best Sustainable Water Capture Course System – Clube de Golfe do Santo da Serra; Best Panoramic Clubhouse – Palheiro Golf; Best Par 3 Hole – Club de Golfe do Santo da Serra (hole 4 Percurso Machico); and Best Golf Real Estate Venue – Quinta do Lago.
Portugal also secured five European titles, from Europe’s Best Golf Destination to Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility – Terras da Comporta; Best Golf Clubhouse – Palmares; Best Golf Venue – Quinta do Lago; and Best New Golf Course – Ombria Golf Course.
Portugal currently has 92 golf courses, spread across various regions, with a particular focus on the Algarve, Lisbon, Porto and the North.
The World Golf Awards are voted for by golf industry professionals from over 100 countries and are part of the World Travel Awards, the so-called ‘Oscars of the tourism sector’.
