PORTUGAL - THE DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION

Portugal is a surprise yet to be discovered, a marvelous combination of sun, culture, history and natural beauty. Its history has established an eternal link with Africa, America, and Asia rendering the Portuguese culture unique in the European context. This nine-century old country of famous navigators and discoverers, was born in 1143 following the Treaty of Zamora. In 1415 the Portuguese began their maritime expansion that turned the country into a great colonial power, the first to discover the ocean routes to India, Brazil, China, and Japan, and establish settlements on the East and West coasts of Africa.

The natural advantages of a sunny country with diverse geographic features, rich traditions and historical heritage have turned Portugal into a chosen tourist destination. Lisboa/Lisbon has been the capital since 1255 and was conquered from the Moors by Portugal's first King in 1147. It lies on the right bank of the Tejo/Tagus river in a region offering a rich landscape diversity. It is an enchanting capital with neighborhoods drenched in medieval charm and the sound of the traditional Fado folk songs, full of monuments that bring to mind the great Age of Discoveries.

The Atlantic coast that stretches to the north and west of Lisbon is of surprising beauty, with enchanting coastal villages and towns. Here, at Cabo da Roca, is Europe's westernmost point. It is a region of. Northern Portugal is the country's oldest region where the city of Porto also lies. The Douro river, the longest in northern Portugal, winds its way past mountains and cliffs through a region of vineyards where the famous Port wine is produced, until it reaches the Atlantic near the city of Porto.

"Beiras" is the traditional name of a region of deep contrasts: Extensive, white, sandy beaches and fishing villages along the Atlantic coastline, and mountains dominating the landscape further inland.
The peaceful landscape of the vast golden plains of Alentejo opens the curtain onto the beautiful villages and towns of the so-called Rota dos Castelos (Castle Route) to the North and onto the less inhabited and sunnier vast planes to the South.

The Algarve region situated on the extreme South of Portugal, with its gorgeous beaches, warm water and glorious sunshine all year-round was the last to be conquered from the Moors.

The image of Portugal as EU's most select and unspoiled beach resort is now being retailored to include tourist packages with a much greater product diversification. Golf, rural and agricultural tourism, adventure trails, radical sports, history and culture, shopping or horse riding tourism, the "wine route" including well known vineyards, all form part of the widening leisure range for tourists.

Despite the geographical distance, Romania and Portugal are actually close through their Latin origin, culture and language, and their shared ideals. As major part of the so-called "invisible trade", tourism could determine a major boost in Romanian-Portuguese bilateral relations. Romania could learn a lot from Portugal's excellent tourist experience in promoting national tourism - according with World Tourism Organisation (WTO) sources, Portugal was in 2000, the 16th World's most visited country and in 2001, hosted around 12.2 million of tourists. The number of Romanians tourists in Portugal has been steadily increasing, from 8,827 persons in 1996 to over 10,343 in 2001, while the number of Portuguese tourists in Romania exceeded 8,000 in 2001.