Subtropical sunshine, a UNESCO-listed forest and direct flights from across the UK, all in the same time zone as London. Madeira joins the 2026 awards as event partner.
Subtropical sunshine, a UNESCO-listed forest and direct flights from across the UK, all in the same time zone as London. Madeira joins the 2026 awards as event partner.
Sitting some 600 miles southwest of Lisbon, the main island packs forests, mountains, beaches and the lively capital of Funchal into 741 square kilometres, with a subtropical climate that keeps temperatures inviting all year round.
For UK travellers the practicalities are hard to beat. Madeira shares the UK’s time zone, so there is no jet lag to factor into a working trip, and connectivity keeps improving. As we reported when the island expanded its UK flight connections for the winter season, services now operate from London Gatwick, Luton and Stansted alongside a dozen regional airports from Belfast to Bournemouth, arriving at Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport on the island’s east coast.
Few destinations reward an extended stay like Madeira. The island’s Laurissilva Forest, a rare subtropical woodland some 20 million years old, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering around a fifth of the island, laced with the famous levada walking trails. Above it rise the peaks of the central mountain range, topping out at Pico Ruivo at 1,862 metres, while the south coast serves up sea swimming, Madeira wine and a hotel scene that increasingly competes with anywhere in Europe. Our editors recently highlighted the island’s extraordinary hotel pools at the Savoy Signature resorts as a draw for a quieter European summer.
Madeirans, it is said, are always celebrating, and the island’s events programme runs through the whole year: the Flower Festival in spring, the Atlantic and Wine Festivals through summer, and Christmas festivities crowned by a New Year fireworks display once recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest. Carnival returns each February, filling Funchal with parades and winter sunshine when UK diaries need it most.
As an event partner of the Travelling for Business Awards, Madeira brings a taste of the Atlantic to the UK’s leading celebration of excellence in business travel. Start planning at visitmadeira.com.
"Few destinations reward an extended stay like Madeira"
Investment from £7,500 for Category Partners. Headline tier confirmed. Experience and Lifetime Achievement opportunities still available.
