The company once again received "World's Leading Conservation Company" in Funchal, on the island of Madeira and sees “the excellence of its work once again acclaimed at an international level with this prestigious trophy”, reads a statement from the company.

The World Travel Awards, created in 1993, are internationally considered the ‘Oscars of tourism’ and “recognised globally as a seal of quality, which is why they constitute as one of the most prestigious distinctions for companies in the sector”. The different categories chosen are done "through online voting by professionals in the field and the general public", the note highlights.

The president of the board of directors of Parques de Sintra-Monte da Lua (PSML), who received the award at the gala, considered that continuing to win the World Travel Awards as “Best Company in the World in Conservation” after 12 consecutive years “is only possible in a successful project, where knowledge and professionalism, in an area of ​​great cultural sensitivity, are a lever to do better in the next project”.

“This work, which has been consistently recognised, both nationally and internationally, has allowed, over the last 10 years, more than 25 million people to purchase tickets to visit the cultural and natural heritage that we manage”, said Sofia Cruz, mentioned in the note.

The executive said that, during this period, “investments worth 40 million euros were made thanks to the virtuous circle that characterises the company's pioneering management model, focused on the ability of assets to generate revenues that are then reinvested in their recovery and maintenance ”.

“These are facts that demonstrate that we are on the right path, which is why, in the future, we plan to invest another approximately 30 million euros in the valorisation of the heritage entrusted to us, always with the same rigor and with the same capacity to innovate that has elevated us as a world reference”, he added.

The company highlighted the prominence that Portugal has had in recent years at the World Travel Awards, winning awards in several categories, which “reflect not only the growth of tourism in the country, but also the high quality of its offer”.

PSML is a publicly owned company created in 2000, following the classification by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of the Sintra Cultural Landscape as a World Heritage Site.

PSML manages the park and National Palace of Pena, Chalet da Condessa d'Edla, National Palaces of Sintra and Queluz, Castle of the Moors, Palace and Gardens of Monserrate, Convent of Capuchos and the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art.

The company's shareholders are the General Directorate of Treasury and Finance (which represents the State), the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), Turismo de Portugal and the Municipal Council of Sintra (Lisbon district), and does not use the State Budget, guaranteeing the recovery and maintenance of the assets it manages through revenues from box offices, stores, cafeterias and rental of spaces for events.