Former Secretary of State for Tourism, Adolfo Mesquita Nunes, was chosen as ‘best public manager of the year’ in the third annual Amadeus Brighter Awards ceremony.
The former Secretary of State for Tourism was given the awarded for his innovation in the tourism sector, primarily for his work on digital marketing and developing new ways of promoting Portugal as a top tourism destination – it was not for his launch and the subsequent failure of the Alojamanto Local legislation.
The award was presented by his successor, Ana Mendes Godinho.
This award "represents the effort of Turismo de Portugal in developing a new promotion strategy," according to Nunes, attending the gala event at the Tivoli Theatre in Lisbon.
Ana Mendes Godinho, part of the new Socialist Party government, gracefully said of her predecessor, "what separates us is no more than what unites us, that is the intention to make Portugal a better and fairer country, albeit in different ways, and tourism is a key player in this regard."
Chitra Stern from Martinhal Hotels & Resorts in Sagres won ‘Manager of the Year’ both for the Martinhal hotel in Sagres and for her company's expansion within Portugal to Quinta do Lago and Lisbon.
"It is a great honour for me and, as a foreign investor, I was not expecting anything. I hope to continue to exceed expectations and grow our brand in Portugal as we have announced three new Martinhal units and are perhaps looking for two more. But in the future we hope to take the brand abroad," said the businesswoman.
