Beira Baixa receives tourism award

CIM Beira Baixa named Best Inland Tourism Destination in Portugal 2023 at the XII La Razón Tourism Awards

CIM Beira Baixa was awarded Best Inland Tourism Destination in Portugal 2023 by the newspaper La Razón – one of the most influential titles in the Spanish press. The ceremony took place on 13 July at the Automobile and Fashion Museum in Málaga, Spain. This is the most important annual award given by the Spanish title.

The award was received by João Lobo, president of CIM Beira Baixa, who said that “This award shows that Beira Baixa has taken important steps in promoting the territory as a tourism destination. It makes us proud and brings added responsibility to keep working on consolidating this destination of excellence.”

This distinction “is a recognition not only of the small region of Beira Baixa, but also of all the people and organisations that are part of this territory in the heart of the Iberian Peninsula,” says João Lobo. The president of CIM Beira Baixa particularly highlights the role of “administrations and business owners, because without them we would not be the same, since they are the ones who make it possible to compete in the global market that is tourism, and to place ourselves on the tourism map so we can be more competitive.”

Thus, “more than the award itself, the expectation is that this prize will also be the engine for generating new tourism flows to the territory”. Tourism is one of the main avenues to “create wealth and fight the depopulation of the rural world, so sadly forgotten these days”, concludes the president of the Community.

The awards ceremony was attended by several Spanish public bodies, notably Emiliano García-Page, President of the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha, and Carlos Bergura, current Councillor for Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia.

La Razón sought to recognise the work of national and international institutions, as well as companies, during the XII edition of the Tourism Awards, with around 30 prizes presented. The only national highlight was the award given to CIM Beira Baixa.