Portugal wins ‘World’s Best Golf Destination’ at 2023 World Golf Awards

‘It’s an honour to be recognised at the World Golf Awards once again. Despite enjoying a lot of great success in recent years, the resort is not one to rest on its laurels – we’re always looking to move forward’, commented Sean Moriarty, CEO of Quinta do Lago as he collected the awards, as posted on the Facebook page of World Golf News.

‘We have taken a lot of pride in making the South Course even better, which makes this recognition even more rewarding. To be named as ‘Europe’s Best Golf Venue‘ also speaks volumes about the fantastic resort that we have become and the array of world-class amenities that we offer to our members and guests in addition to three terrific golf courses’, he continued.

An eight-time host of the Portuguese Open, this was the second consecutive year that Quinta do Lago’s South Course picked up the title of ‘Europe’s Best Golf Course’, one year after its 50th anniversary.

Terras da Comporta – Dunas Golf Course in the Alentejo municipality of Grândola in Setúbal District was also voted the World’s (and Europe’s) Best New Golf Course.

What did the Portuguese Tourist Board have to say?

The Portuguese Tourist Board was obviously over the moon with the huge recognition the country gained as a result of the awards.

A statement on its website read: ‘The success of Portugal as a golf destination can be attributed to the availability of an integrated tourism experience, good air and land transportation, exceptional hospitality, high-quality sports and hotel infrastructures catering to different types of players, whether they are professional or amateur, and an excellent price-quality ratio’.

‘Portugal currently offers 89 golf courses distributed across its seven tourist regions, with a particular focus on the Algarve, Lisbon, and Porto and the North regions’, it continued.

‘As a well-established and internationally recognised tourism product, demand in the first half of 2023 reached record levels, surpassing those recorded during the same period in 2019 (one of Portugal’s best tourism years) and 2022. The average number of rounds played by foreign golfers increased by more than 13 per cent compared to 2019 and 14 per cent compared to 2022’, it added.

The statement concluded: ‘This set of actions and initiatives, carried out in collaboration with the Portuguese Golf Federation and the National Golf Industry Council, has solidified the golf industry as an important partner in implementing Portugal’s sustainability strategy’.