Lisbon among winners at World Travel Awards

Lisbon was one of the success stories at the European ceremony of this year's World Travel Awards, receiving three major accolades.

The Portuguese capital won the award for Europe's leading travel destination and was also voted the best city break and cruise location.

Other winners at the awards ceremony, which was held at the Marriott Praia D'El Rey in Portugal, included Lufthansa and easyJet, which were voted the continent's leading airline and best budget carrier respectively.

Virgin Atlantic was recognised in the marketing campaign category for its 25th birthday promotions, while the accolade for Europe's leading hotel went to Le Bristol in Paris.

The European stage of the 2009 World Travel Awards saw nearly 1,500 travel companies nominated in 177 categories.

Graham Cooke, president of the awards, said: "The past 12 months have brought several challenges, namely the economic downturn and the outbreak of swine flu, which has impacted travel and tourism worldwide; today's winners have remained focused on their long-term objectives and continued to deliver above and beyond the call of duty, setting an industry example."

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