Oporto voted Traveller’s Best Destination 2012

Portugal’s northern city of Oporto has been voted Best European Destination 2012 from a shortlist of 20 European cities, beating off competition from other stunning places including Vienna, Dubrovnik and Prague.
Portugal is in fact the only country to feature twice on the top ten Best Destination list, with its capital city, Lisbon, coming in eighth.
After three weeks of online voting, in which 212,688 people participated, Oporto emerged victorious, following in the footsteps of Lisbon, which took the title in 2010.
Due to its “variety of resources available Porto conquers all its visitors” the Traveller’s Choice website describes, “from those who want it for its history and authenticity, to the ones who seek to explore a new, more cosmopolitan and contemporary city.”
It added: “Discovering Porto means discovering what makes it different: the famous Port Wine, an Historical Centre designated World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, Museums, Enchanting parks and gardens, fashion boutiques by national and international designers...” and encourages: “Porto gives you a bit of everything. Give it a try!”
The news was well received by the Portuguese online community, with many leaving congratulations in comments. One reader commenting on the news said: “It’s about time Portugal gets the recognition it deserves.”
Oporto was followed in the ranks by Vienna (Austria), Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Prague (Czech Republic), in second, third and fourth places respectively. Brussels (Belgium) made mid-table at fifth, followed by Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary) and Lisbon (Portugal) in sixth, seventh and eight places, respectively.
Rounding off the top ten are Florence (Italy) and last but not least, Edinburgh (Scotland).
European Consumers Choice is an independent non-profit-making organisation based in Brussels. In partnership with tourism offices it rewards the best holiday destinations in Europe. Using Eurostat’s annual tourism data and experts’ professional advice, a central jury selects 20 towns to compete for the “European Best Destination” title. European citizens’ vote online to select their preferred destination and the town which receives most votes (over a period of 21 days) is awarded the trophy for best European destination (Lisbon 2010, Copenhagen 2011).