Funchal, the capital city of the Madeira archipelago, has been recognised in a report released by the European Environment Agency as one of Europe's leading cities when it comes to air quality and cleanliness. According to the agency's latest report, released on 29th August, Funchal was ranked in eighth place among a list of more than 350 cities.

The ranking is is made by measuring fine particles of pollutant air that has the greatest impact on health in terms of premature death and illness. In these tests, Funchal was shown to have 4.4 microgrammes of fine particles per cubic metre.

In the list presented, Faro and Funchal were the best positioned Portuguese cities, in third and eighth place respectively. Lisbon was ranked in thirty-eighth place and Sintra one hundred and fourth.

Madeira Promotion Bureau President and Regional Secretary of Economy, Tourism and Culture, Eduardo Jesus, refers to the importance of this ranking: “Visitors from all markets are increasingly discerning in matters relating to the environment. Especially in the post-Covid 19 period, we feel that health security, nature and outdoor activities are of increasing importance to visitors when choosing where to travel and, therefore, these indicators are also very relevant for the region's tourist activity, reaffirming Madeira as a quality destination on several levels and, in particular, in terms of the environment.”

ENDS

About Madeira. Belongs to all

• Madeira. Belongs to all is the consumer-facing brand of the Madeira Promotion Bureau, which aims to promote Madeira as a tourist destination to consumers and the travel trade.
• Madeira, otherwise known as 'the islands of eternal spring', is just a short, three-and-a-half-hour flight from London. It covers 740km2 and has a population of only 260,000. On the same latitude as Morocco, the Atlantic archipelago has a sub-tropical climate, a rich volcanic soil and a unique eco-system. It is one of the only places in the planet where banana trees grow next to vineyards.
• Located approximately 1,000km from the European mainland – and just 500km from the African continent – Madeira enjoys an amazingly mild climate, ranging from 25°c in the summer to 17°c in the winter, with very mild average temperatures and moderate humidity.
• In 1999, Madeira's indigenous forest, the Laurissilva, was declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. The Madeira Natural Park is a protected area that covers around two-thirds of Madeira Island's territory, equivalent to 67% of its surface.

For more information, visit www.visitmadeira.com / @visitmadeira

About Madeira Promotion Bureau

Madeira Promotion Bureau aims to promote Madeira in the national and international markets.

For media information and images, please contact Hume Whitehead Ltd:

Richard Hume (richard@humewhitehead.co.uk/   +44(0) 20 3375 4051

Rebecca Pasha (rebecca@humewhitehead.co.uk / +44(0) 20 3375 4054