The beautiful Madeira Islands have officially won the title of ‘World’s Leading Island Destination’ at the World Travel Awards.
The awards took place in Funchal, with a number of companies and destinations winning across a range of categories. But it was Madeira which clinched the trophy.
It comprises four islands off the northwest coast of Africa and is an autonomous region of Portugal. While it has long been a hotspot destination, the area has found itself achieving a new sense of virality due to TikTok where content creators dubbed it the ‘Hawaii of Europe.’
This title has been given largely due to its incredible and vast scenery and volcanic landscape.
In the same awards, the islands won ‘World’s Best Emerging Golf Destination’ at the World Golf Awards 2024 which was held at the same venue.
In a press release, Eduardo Jesus, Regional Secretary of Economy, Tourism and Culture and President of the Madeira Promotion Bureau, highlighted that this WTA award, consistently won by Madeira since 2015 is “a recognition of the efforts undertaken by the entire sector to reinforce Madeira’s international positioning as a unique, year round destination to everyone.”
He added: “It is an honour and a privilege to receive this award at a gala hosted in Funchal, in the presence of many guests from Madeira, as well as entities and institutions that work tirelessly throughout the year to achieve such regonition from the World Travel Awards.”
Where is Madeira? The new ‘World’s Leading Island Destination’
Madeira is the largest island of the archipelago and Funchal is its capital city. Then, there is the island of Porto Santo which is in the North East of the main island.
To the southeast of the main island of Madeira lies Chão, Deserta Grande and Bugio. These are three islands which are deserted and designated as nature reserves. These are protected by the Madeira Natural Park.
There are a number of trips and tours running to Deserta Grande so people can visit and explore.
What is the best month to visit Madeira?
Madeira has a subtropical climate, so it has sunshine year round making it ideal for visits in several months.
For the warmest weather, visit between July to October. However, the Winter months still see a good level of warm temperatures and sun. Even in December, the weather is 19 degrees. In January, the average temperature reduces slightly to 17 degrees before it dips to 16 degrees in February and then increases again throughout the year.
Photo Credit: Photo by QQ Z on Unsplash