The BTL 2026 presentation ceremony and the annual BTL Awards ceremony took place yesterday (June 26) at FIL - Lisbon International Fair - and it was announced that the municipality of Figueira da Foz will be the guest municipality at the Better Tourism Lisbon Travel Market 2026, which will take place from February 25 to March 1.
Pedro Santana Lopes said it was a “great honor for Figueira da Foz to be the counterpart” of the guest region, the Algarve, and at the same time “a challenge”.
The mayor of Figueira da Foz stressed that “we´re going to try to bring the Figueira of today to BTL 2026”, because the one from the “golden years of the last century” is already familiar to everyone".
By this, Pedro Santana Lopes meant that he intends to bring to the event not only the two great assets that the municipality has: “the wealth and natural beauty and the strength of our tour operators”, but also “innovation, research, the campus of the University of Coimbra”, seeking to “surprise and contribute to making it the best BTL ever”.
Pedro Machado, Secretary of State for Tourism, Trade and Services, who closed the ceremony, welcomed the Mayor of Figueira da Foz and “Figueira da Foz as a guest destination in 2026” and said that he was “in agreement with the words” spoken by Pedro Santana Lopes.
The government official thanked “all those who give their best every day for an extraordinary industry, which is tourism” and which is “essential in this process of growth and development of our country”.
According to FCE - Lisboa Feiras Congressos e Eventos - officials, some of the objectives for BTL 2026 are to strengthen the event “as an international tourism HUB” and as an “innovation platform” and also to reinforce “sustainability and inclusion in the sector and continue to stimulate business.”
It should be noted that the Coimbra Region Intermunicipal Community was distinguished with the “Innovation Award”, received by Jorge Custódio, mayor of Pampilhosa da Serra.
Source: https://www.cm-figfoz.pt