Portugal’s
Algarve region is nowadays renowned for being one Europe’s most enduringly
popular tourist hotspots. With miles of stunning beaches, beautiful mountaintop
vistas, family-friendly activities, charming towns and a warm climate to boot,
it is perhaps no surprise that the southernmost region of Portugal has shown
itself to be a favourite among holidaymakers. The many holiday villas which
have sprouted up along the coast over the past decades are testament to the
thousands of people who love to call the Algarve home for a few weeks every
year, but how did this picturesque region become the holiday haven that it is
today? The history of the Algarve is a colourful and interesting one, and there
are a great number of fascinating historical sites that still attract tourists
to the region to this day.
In
the sixth century BC, Portus Hanibalis (nowadays known as Portimao) was founded
and became a popular Mediterranean trading port. Over four hundred years later
in the second century BC, a Roman occupation left behind many Roman ruins
including bath complexes and fishing salt tanks, especially in the towns of
Vilamoura and Praia da Luz. These ruins are still a major tourist attraction
for many in the area, and are overlooked by some beautiful modern
Algarve villas, popular with holidaymakers.
Visigoths
and the Moorish invasion saw power over the Algarve change hands numerous times
over the next thousand years, and in the 12th century, the Moorish
reign came to a close as a result of a military campaign by the Kingdom of
Portugal. The King of Portugal, Afonso
III, began referring to himself as the King of Portugal and the Algarve, and
this title was in use until as recently as 1910, when the proclamation of the
Portuguese First Republic meant that the existence of the Algarve as a separate
state in Portugal came to an end.
The
great Lisbon earthquake and the consequence tsunami of 1755 destroyed many of
the Algarve’s largest cities and caused mass reconstruction throughout the
entire area. This left many of the towns with a very distinct architectural
style which many tourists come to marvel at.
The
Algarve wouldn’t see such mass regeneration again until the 1960s, when the
surge in the availability of air travel meant an influx of holidaymakers and
tourists from Britain, Holland, Ireland and Germany. Northern Europeans have
little experience of the mild Mediterranean climate and the long stretches of
south-facing coastline, so the Algarve firmly cemented itself as the holiday
destination for many Britons. Tourism plays a large part in the economy of the
Algarve region; the property market is in full swing due to the popularity of Algarve
holiday villas, there is continuous investment in leisure facilities such
as golf courses and spa retreats, and thousands of seasonal jobs are created every
summer by the arrival of holidaymakers looking to enjoy the natural delights of
the region.
For up to date late availability in the Algarve,
call Premier Holidays on 0800 047 0400 or visit http://www.premier-holidays.com.
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