Parques de Sintra the World's Leading Conservation Company over the last decade

For the 10th consecutive year, Parques de Sintra has won the World Travel Award for "World's Leading Conservation Company". The naming of the company as the best in its area over the last decade took place this Friday, 11 November, in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, during an official ceremony in which the winners of this edition were announced. Thanking all those who placed their vote and trust in the company, Luís Calaim, director of Parques de Sintra, received the prestigious award on behalf of all company employees, the excellence of whose work has once again been recognised internationally.

In reaction to this 10th World Travel Award, Sofia Cruz, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Parques de Sintra, stressed that "the affirmation of Parques de Sintra as the best company in the world in the field of conservation over the last decade is due to the audacity, creativity, dedication and resilience of its teams. These qualities have been key to the success of various ambitious projects, which have contributed to the enhancement of the remarkable heritage that the company holds in its care. The successive recognition of the high quality of our work, both in Portugal and internationally, is testament to our consistency, which has remained unwavering even in the face of the adversities arising from a pandemic. It is with this firm commitment that we will continue to fulfil our mission, always seeking to do more and better."

Over the last decade, Parques de Sintra has completed a significant number of conservation and restoration projects on the heritage under its management, having won several national and international awards that have made it a global benchmark in the field.

Among the projects with the greatest impact, in 2013, the company won the first Europa Nostra award in its history for the recovery and restoration of the Chalet and Garden of the Countess of Edla, and obtained the European Garden Award for the best restoration of a historic garden for its work carried out in Park of Monserrate. A further two major projects were completed that year: "Conquering the Castle", which, in addition to the relevant restoration work, endowed the Moorish Castle with new functionalities; and the rehabilitation of the façades, chimneys and roof of the Room of the Coats of Arms of the National Palace of Sintra.

2014 was marked by the reopening of the Great Hall of the National Palace of Pena after a full restoration over three years, and by the commencement of restoration work on the façades of the National Palace of Queluz, which returned its original blue colour and took until the end of 2016. By this time, work was already under way on the historical reconstitution of the Queluz Botanical Garden. Concluded in 2017, this project achieved an unprecedented honour for Portugal by winning two European Union Awards for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2018: the judges' award in the Conservation and Restoration category, and the Public Choice award.

The project for the recovery of the Convent of the Capuchos was of particular note in 2019 and 2020, a project which involved complex, large-scale conservation and restoration interventions. With this work, another Parques de Sintra project was named among the winners of the European Union Awards for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2022, the most prestigious European awards in the area of heritage.

As a result of this success and all the work it has accomplished, between 2013 and 2022, Parques de Sintra has accumulated ten World Travel Awards for "World's Leading Conservation Company", recognising it as the best in its area over the last decade.

The World Travel Awards aim to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in all sectors of tourism. With competitors from all over the world, the awards represent one of the most important distinctions that companies in this industry can receive, with a brand recognised globally as a seal of quality. Voting is undertaken by the general public and tourism professionals.