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Lisbon Moves Ahead of Paris As One of the Top 10 Destinations for Tourists
14 January 2019
Half a million Americans visited Portugal last year. A new record is expected this year.
The 2019 Kayak Guide evaluated more than 1.5 billion internet searches of people researching trips and found that Lisbon is among the ten most trendy destinations in the world. Ahead of Paris.
The aggregator, which publishes a list of best, most wanted, most popular, etc. travel destinations every year, chose a photo of Lisbon for the cover of its ranking of the trendiest cities, based on the preferences of its customers. Lisbon was more popular than traditional destinations like Paris, Rome and Munich and even the Hawaiian paradise of Maui. The Portuguese capital seems to be riding high at the moment.
The site advises its American customers – the target of the annual guide – to go prepared for good surprises and great walks. “Lisbon is known as the city of seven hills. Take comfortable shoes, since as you walk among its picturesque streets, you’ll often feel that you are always going uphill.”
In just the first seven months of last year, Portuguese hotels hosted nearly half a million Americans, and projects are even rosier for this year. According to Secretary of State for Tourism, Ana Mendes Godinho, Americans are among the people who spend the most on their trips around the country – more than 500 euros/day in purchases, according to Global Blue’s data on Tax-Free Shopping.
“The United States is already our fifth largest market in terms of revenue,” Ms Godinho stated in Las Vegas, where Portugal received the Hottest Destination of 2018 award from Virtuoso Awards.
Original Story: Dinheiro Vivo – Joana Petiz
Photo: Orlando Almeida / Global Imagens
Translation: Richard Turner