Planning luxury golf holidays in Portugal and Spain made easy

One of the greatest amateur careers in Portuguese golf history is been forged by Daniel da Costa Rodrigues, who finished in the top ten at the European Individual Amateur Men's Championship, a European Golf Association (EGA) event at El Saler Golf Club, in Valencia, organized by the Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG).

The player from Miramar played for the amateur national team of the Portuguese Golf Federation (FPG) and finished in 9th place, tied with 8 more players, with a total of 287, 1 under par (72-69-76-70).

As the FPG Press Office pointed out, "since the first edition of this European Championship, in 1986, only four Portuguese had finished in the top-10: Daniel Silva (4th in 1986 and 1988); Ricardo Santos (7th in 2005); Gonçalo Pinto (4th in 2012); and Tomás Silva (9th in 2014).

In the Alps Andalusia, Tomás Bessa missed out on a place in the final round at Valle Guadiana Links in Ayamonte, by one stroke, after rounds of 71 and 72.

After starting the Alps Tour in 2nd place, Tomás Bessa fell to 7th in the Order of Merit, dropping from 6th place. The top five finishers in these standings get promoted to the Challenge Tour, Europe's second level, at the end of the season.

Vitor Lopes, competing in the Challenge Tour, finished Bolt Open Bretagne in France in 30th place, while Pedro Figueiredo placed 50th in the overall standings, with Englishman Alfie Plant leading the pack.

Vitor Lopes ended with a score of 282 (+2) and won 1875€. On the other hand, Pedro Figueiredo scored 285 (+5) and won 1050€.

The highest-placing Portuguese player at the Gradi Polish Open final table was João Girão, who finished in 19th position and earned €30,000 in prize money at the Gradi Golf Club. Pedro Lencart was one of three 43rd-place finishers in the tournament, and neither Alexandre Abreu nor João Magalhães made the cut.

On a Par 70 course and in a competition played, as usual, in three rounds, João Girão opened with a 71 (+1), but then he was at a great level on the second and third days, in both scoring 67 (-3), to a total of 205 (-5).

Ricardo Santos and Ricardo Gouveia were eliminated of the BMW International Open, a competition of the European Circuit that takes place in Munich, Germany, after missing the 'cut'.

Ricardo Santos had a final score of 141 and Ricardo Gouveia scored 147, while the cut was 140.

According to ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal, the Airport Council International (ACI) has named Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport as the "Best European Airport 2022" for its category of 10-25 million passengers.

ACI Europe, the worldwide organization for airports, has recognized Porto Airport for the first time as the Best European Airport 2022. VINCI Airports' environmental commitment was emphasized by ACI Europe, which praised the recovery of activity following the pandemic crisis, as well as the quality of service and the efforts taken in accordance with this commitment.

With the development of the taxiway, innovative solutions were created and implemented, and environmental commitments were reinforced as part of VINCI Airports' environmental policy during this critical moment for aviation.

The focus on the development of routes allowed to achieve connectivity values in 2022 higher than those of 2019, along with the attractiveness of the North region, has allowed to obtain very positive results of traffic recovery and connectivity increase. The announcement claims that Porto Airport's connectivity has already surpassed that of the summer of 2019, with 100 regular routes now accessible (in 2019, there were 99).

Stakeholder Forum for Global Carbon Management, water reuse projects (such as from rescue vehicles and passenger bottles, for irrigation and cleaning at airports), and innovative waste sorting systems are highlighted by ACI Europe in terms of environmentally friendly projects.

The quality of service provided as well as the implementation of measures taken during the pandemic crisis in the operational, health and safety, and commercial management areas were the primary considerations used as evaluation criteria for this year's awards. These considerations were evaluated within the context of the airport's strategy for sustainability and its financial recovery.

The Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport has been recognized by the Airport Service Quality (ASQ ACI) on multiple occasions, earning a variety of accolades and placing among the highest in its category over the course of the past 15 years.

The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open, which concludes the Ladies European Tour season and crowns the tournament champion as well as the Race to Costa del Sol Order of Merit winner for the third consecutive year, will be held at Alferini Golf in Benahavis, located in the famous Costa del Sol region, at the end of November.

The amount of women who have won this competition since it was established as the conclusion of the Race to Costa del Sol is at an all-time high.

The Spaniard Carlota Ciganda won the tournament last year (it was the only tournament she had yet to win in Spain), while Atthaya Thitikul, a Thai golfer, took the Order of Merit.

The Andalusia Costa del Sol Open in Spain, again sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Junta de Andalucía, Costa del Sol Tourism and Planning and Acosol, will be held in one of the Costa del Sol jewels.

The Race to Costa del Sol 2022 will be decided on Alferini Golf's well-kept greens and fairways, which are an example of the superb standard of Andalusian courses. The €250,000 bonus awarded to the top three finishers in the annual rankings is the cherry on top of the €650,000 prize pool.

"Hosting a Ladies European Tour event at our facilities again fills us with pride and happiness. The Race to Costa del Sol title will also be crowned at Alferini Golf, it has been announced. All players will face a formidable task on this excellent course, both in terms of its length and architecture. As far as I can tell, the greatest players in the league are going to put on a fantastic show for us”, states the Villa Padierna complex owner Ricardo Arranz de Miguel. "It is a unique path because of its incorporation into the Costa del Sol scenery and the absence of buildings around it", he adds.

One more year, the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open in Spain will act as a magnet for players and fans thanks to its position as the last round of the Ladies European Tour calendar, its generous prize pool that attracts the best players of the moment, and the undoubted attraction of Benahavis and its surroundings, a perfect example of how much Andalusia and the Costa del Sol have to offer. The Villa Padierna complex will host the tournament for the second time after the edition played on the Flamingos Golf course in 2010, when the English Laura Davies emerged victorious.

The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España 2022 is held from November 24 to 27 and is part of the Solheim Cup 2023 program, an event declared an Event of Exceptional Public Interest (AEIP) and which provides important tax advantages to companies participants. Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, the last event on the Ladies European Tour calendar, is sponsored by Andalucía, Costa del Sol and Acosol as main sponsors.

The number of tourists visiting Spain has nearly returned to the levels they were before the pandemic crisis, propelling the country back onto the podium of the most popular tourist destinations throughout the world.

Summer has arrived, bringing with it the rays of promise from Easter, and tourism is looking forward to a promising few months. Precisely, after two years of uncertainty due to the pandemic, which scientists define as the recovery stage. Spain seeks to reclaim its former status as a world leader in this field.

Andalusia, the Canary Islands, and the Valencian Community are the favorite places for the Spanish tourists who travel in their own country, with the Spanish coast as a great attraction. Without a beach, Madrid, Castilla y León, and Aragón are the most popular destinations.

The data shows the desire to go back to plan summer holidays. In Spain, the number of people who book their holidays a maximum of three months in advance has increased considerably, reaching 81.48%, compared to 43.50% before the pandemic.

Similarly, it reveals that the traveler prefers shorter vacations, averaging around a week in duration. New types of tourism are also highlighted, such microadventures, immersive travel experiences thanks to the digital world and the metaverse, psychedelic retreats at all-inclusive resorts or "green mapping," which refers to plans that are environmentally and socially responsible.

Spain has been ranked as the world's third most popular tourist destination by the Davos Economic Forum in its latest report on Travel and Tourism. Following Japan and the United States, it was just ahead of either France or Germany. A busy summer for hotels is predicted, with occupancy rates already near pre-pandemic highs.

As a result of higher vaccination rates, a reduction in health restrictions, and an increase in demand for inland and nature tourism, the tourist and business travel sectors have rebounded from their pre-pandemic levels.

In spite of the encouraging indicators, some challenges remain. The tourist industry faces a number of concerns in the future, including the uneven distribution of vaccines, capacity restrictions, a labor shortage, and interruptions in the supply chain. All this without counting on the long queues that are being experienced at airports, with people missing flights.