Voting is now open to both travellers and to the general public, as well as to travel and tourism professionals and votes can be placed online at www.worldtravelawards.com/vote, with the winner being announced in November, during a gala taking place in Moscow, Russia.

The region's hospitality industry is also represented in several other categories with 20 nominations, including for “Best Beach Resort in the World”, “Best Family Resort in the World” and “Best Luxury Hotel in the World”.

As well as the two dozen nominations for hotels in the Algarve, there are also six nominations for hotels in Madeira, five from Lisbon and one from the Alentejo. Portugal is also nominated for "Best Destination in the World", "Best Family Destination in the World" and "Best Nature Destination in the World", with the country having a total of 54 national nominations.

Established in 1993 to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, the World Travel Awards celebrate their 28th anniversary in 2021. Every year, a series of regional gala ceremonies recognise excellence in each continent, culminating in a Grand Final to crown the “Best in the World” in each category.

Voting takes place online at www.cifft.com/cast-your-vote.