The first time it was nominated, the Autonomous Region won the award given by the ‘World Cruise Awards’.
Madeira is the big winner of the ‘World Cruise Awards’ in the category of Best European Cruise Destination. This was the first time that the Autonomous Region was spontaneously nominated by the organization of the competition, and won this category
This award was based on continuous work developed over the last few years by APRAM – Administração dos Portos da Região Autónoma da Madeira, S.A., namely during the pandemic, which forced APRAM to constantly reinvent and adapt to respond to new market demands. . Thus, safety and comfort standards were implemented, creating conditions to continue to attract cruise companies. In parallel, the new signature ‘Your Safe Port’ was created, in 2021, reflecting the new positioning of the brand and present in the promotional film and in the new institutional brochure, several digital marketing campaigns were launched at national and international level, and it was reinforced the commitment to a close relationship with the various maritime companies and partners in the sector, whose good results are demonstrated by the stopovers achieved this year, which demonstrate that Madeira is a consolidated and recognized destination.
It is recalled that between January and October 2022 the Ports of Madeira received 227 stopovers and more than 250 thousand passengers. In 2021, and in the total year, there were 125 stopovers and a movement of 117,289 passengers.
To all these measures, added the strong investment made in the Port of Funchal, in an amount of more than six million euros, which allowed, for example, the construction of the new terminal on quay six, the replacement of the mooring bollards on the south quay, the pair of the reinforcement of the protection mantle of the port of funchal.
For Rui Barreto, Regional Secretary for the Economy, the distinction of the Autonomous Region of Madeira as the Best Cruise Destination in Europe in the ‘World Cruise Awards’ comes to “recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in the global cruise sector. recognition of the work carried out in the Region in recent years in favor of cruise tourism, which has allowed Madeira to occupy a prominent place at a national level in terms of the number of stopovers, as well as passengers”.
Rui Barreto recalls that “the port of Funchal was the first port to open nationally after COVID to receive cruise ships, after meeting all the conditions in terms of equipment and infrastructure to ensure that it was a safe port of entry “.
Paula Cabaço, chairman of the board of directors of APRAM, considers that this award is very rewarding after all the work carried out during and after the pandemic. “This distinction is for us, and for the Region, a great pride, reflecting the success of the new strategy carried out by the Ports of Madeira in the wake of COVID, rebuilding the confidence of cruise tourists, stimulating demand and keeping the Region in top of the preferences of European cruise tourism”.
“Our destiny has been affirmed for its uniqueness, for its quality and for its capacity for renewal, in a market that is, as we know, highly demanding and competitive”, adds Paula Cabaço. “This distinction will certainly bring very positive results for the future ahead, concludes the President of APRAM.
The ‘World Cruise Awards’ were awarded for the first time last year. The event is considered a “sister” of the ‘World Travel Awards’, created in 1993 and considered the “oscars of tourism”, where Madeira has already won the award for “Best Island Destination in Europe” eight times and seven times, the of “Best Island Destination in the World”.