Southern Portugal has received further international recognition. On December 6, 2025, the Algarve was named "World's Leading Beach Destination 2025" at the World Travel Awards grand finale, held in Bahrain. The region has now won this title for the fourth time, after 2020, 2021, and 2024, making it the only beach destination in the world to have received the award four times.

Facing off against some twenty competing destinations, including postcard-perfect locations like Thailand, Zanzibar, and the Seychelles, the Algarve has once again won over tourism professionals and travelers from around the world. With over 300 days of sunshine a year, more than 200 kilometers of coastline, and a mosaic of beaches – from vast stretches of sand and golden cliffs to more secluded coves – the region remains one of Portugal's tourism drivers, attracting several million visitors annually.

This distinction is part of a broader trend. The Algarve has been collecting awards for over a decade, regularly voted "Europe's Leading Beach Destination" and now a global benchmark for coastal tourism. Environmental labels, such as the Blue Flag, are proliferating along the coastline, reflecting ongoing efforts to improve water quality, beach cleanliness, and visitor safety.

For André Gomes, president of the Algarve Tourism Bureau, this award is both a source of pride and a responsibility: to continue raising the standards of the region, to preserve unique natural resources and to meet the expectations of an ever-growing international audience.

For the equestrian community, this increased visibility confirms what riders already know: the Algarve is not just a picture-postcard setting, but also an ideal playground for experiencing the sport in a new way, between winter sunshine, the ocean, and the Portuguese way of life. The Algarve Vilamoura Classic fits perfectly into this landscape, offering riders, their teams, and show jumping enthusiasts a new home in the heart of this region, now renowned on a global level.

To read on Le Figaro

Starting in February 2026, GRANDPRIX Events will organize its first competitions in Vilamoura, Portugal. How did this initiative come about?
European riders increasingly want and need to extend their competition seasons. Like Spain, Portugal enjoys temperatures and sunshine levels unmatched by any other country in Northern Europe, not even Southern France. GRANDPRIX has been looking to develop a project on the Iberian Peninsula for several years. To this end, we met with Arrow Global, the main owner of the Vilamoura resort, which is investing several hundred million euros in this destination. Arrow Global wanted to redesign an equestrian venue that had long existed there and had hosted international competitions since 2000. The aim is to better meet the expectations of all stakeholders in our sporting community—riders, professionals and amateurs alike, grooms, owners, breeders, and dealers—and to offer them a competition venue capable of hosting the entire show jumping community every year from October to March. Furthermore, Portugal, which has not hosted a CSI 5* since 2019, is a rapidly developing, dynamic, and attractive country in terms of tourism and the economy. We are therefore delighted to contribute to this dynamism and to ensure that equestrian sports become an additional driver of economic development in the beautiful Algarve region of Portugal.

You can read the full interview here (FR) Read the full interview here (EN)

Michel Poncelet, a recognized specialist in track maintenance, joined the Algarve Vilamoura Classic project in October 2024. He ensures optimal conditions for the grass track, guaranteeing an ideal setting for high-level competitions.

We are launching the Algarve Vilamoura Classic Membership, giving access to all site competitions, premium boxes, exclusive events, and much more. For more information, contact the show office.