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Portugal is not only a beloved country of Israelis, who have discovered it in the last five years and have since flown to it regularly as Portuguese citizens and tourists, Ben Groundwater, one of Australia’s most well-known and respected travel writers, has established Portugal as his favorite destination in the world (and he has traveled to more than 80 countries!) and recommends it as one of the safest destinations in the world for Australian tourists, who are currently facing the opening of foreign tourism after the Corona closures.
Ben Groundwater explains in his column on the leading Australian tourist website TRAVELLER about all the benefits and good that Portugal has to offer. Read the main points from his column here.
Ben Groundwater, a traveler who has visited more than 80 countries for 12 years, is a writer, blogger, opinion columnist and host of podcasts on Australia’s leading tourism website TRAVELLER. In 2014 and 2015 Ben was awarded as the Tourism Reporter of the Year by the Australian Tourism Reporters Association. In his new TRAVELER column, Ben explains why he will choose his favorite Portugal as the first tourist destination he will fly to with the resumption of flights and tourism in Australia.
At the beginning of the column, Ben criticizes Time Out magazine’s annual index of the 49 coolest neighborhoods in the world, where Anhus in Lisbon was ranked 34th and Foz in Porto 38th.
“Portugal is cool. It’s all kinds of cool. And it does this cool in a way that is not at all pretentious or prescribed or forced. It’s a cool that trades on tradition and yet feeds on an idea of the future, that is welcoming and not exclusive, that has no dress code, that has no rules”, Ben writes.
I love Portugal. I’ve written about this before. The food is great, the drinks are excellent. People are friendly and warm and kind. Hotels and hostels are amazing. The Iberian-style street culture is instantly loveable. The scenery is gorgeous. The cities are vibrant and exciting, but also safe and approachable.”
Furthermore, Ben writes that now that foreign tourism in Australia is slowly opening up, Portugal is the destination at the top of his list not only because it is cool, but because it as a socialist country has surprised big and solved big problems, it is a friendly and historic country and it is where Ben wants to be.
Ben notes that the most important thing about Portugal as the first tourist destination with the opening of tourism is that it is a country where Australians will feel confident because 87% of the population has been vaccinated with two doses of vaccines against the corona virus and only the UAE has bypassed it.
In addition, the entry instructions to the country are relatively easy, because there is no need for a negative PCR test and isolation on arrival in Portugal, but only a vaccination certificate. Portugal has very few restrictions on traffic and events as well as occupancy in places of entertainment such as restaurants, bars and clubs. Of course, in Portugal they continue to maintain the usual safety measures, such as wearing masks in places and public events. In addition, the Portuguese government has taken an initiative called “Clean and Safe” regarding accommodation institutions, tourist services and attractions, in order to give visiting tourists an extra level of comfort.
Ben cites as an example the low numbers of corona cases in Portugal, only about 650 per day, compared to Italy where the number currently stands at 2500 and the UK where the number of cases reaches about 40,000 per day.
“So yes, Portugal is perfection,” Ben concludes the column. “I’m picturing a coffee and a pastel de nata – aka a Portuguese tart – on the streets of Lisbon. I’m thinking of a Francesinha, a whopping sandwich, at a bar in Porto. I’m picturing tiled walls and paved streets and friendly people in one of the world’s great destinations.”
The column proves that Portugal, which has so much to offer, also impresses the Australians, on the other side of the world.
On our site you will find all the information about Portugal and tourism in Portugal so that your next visit will be experiential and enjoyable. You are also welcome to join the Facebook group “Over the rainbow Portugal” where you will find all the updates and information about Portugal.
