This is the second time running that the Algarve golf region gets the top spot, ahead of Turkey and Murcia, getting forty-three percent of the votes. On the whole the Algarve was also the one to get the most awards – six in total.

This means that the Algarve also got the top awards in categories such as Best Golf Course in Portugal and Best Hotel/Resort in Portugal – the awards went to Oceanico Old Course in Vilamoura and Vale do Lobo respectively.

The award-winning Oceanico Old Course – located in the heart of Vilamoura – is one of the oldest courses in the region and is well-known all around the world. The Oceanico Golf CEO was thrilled with the news of winning the award and commented that it is testament to the hard work of the entire team that works there. It would indeed appear that many golfers continue to grace its perfectly maintained classic layout, despite the very strong competition from newer courses.

The president of the Algarve Tourism Board also commented on the new awards saying that the Algarve golf has around forty golf courses and that more than one million rounds are played on these coruses each year. That’s not a coincidence, the courses having garnered many international awards during the years and these latest ones only add to the reputation of the region.

Today’s Golfer has only been giving out the Travel Awards for two years, however the magazine reaches more than two-hundred thousand British golfers each month in total, and that is the most important tourist market for the Algarve, not necessarily the golfers – although they are important – but the UK market in general.

The new, reduced, charges will apply to all users, with transport companies benefitting from an extra ten percent reduction during the day and a twenty-five percent reduction during night time.

The roads that are covered by the new tolls are the A17 and A29 – Silver Coast, the A4, A41 and A42 – Greater Porto, the A28 – Norte Litoral, the A22 – Algarve, the A23 – Beira Interior, the A24 – Interior Norte and the A25 – Beira Litoral/Alta.

The former toll regime, allowed local residents and workers to benefit from ten free trips each month, however that was deemed illegal by the virtue of it being discriminatory by the European Commission, so the Government had to abandon it. That opinion was also echoed by the several major figures of the Algarve tourist market.

Going back to the European Commission decision, it argued that the old system of tolls was in violation of the right of free movement of people as well as the principle of non-discrimination on the basis of residence.

The updated regime is in accordance with EU legislation and in a statement from the Portuguese Minister of Economy, he said that the new regime won’t impact the State Budget and that it also respects the government’s user-payer principle for all the motorways in the country.

But the general feeling in the Algarve business sector on the whole isn’t as calm as the Minister’s conclusion sounds, instead they are expecting more bankruptcies, higher unemployment rates, less tourists from Spain, decreases in the Algarve car rental industry numbers and a more congested EN125 if the tolls remain active.

New protests are against the Algarve tolls are scheduled to take place in the near future.