If Portugal is the hottest destination for 2017 it MUST rectify this

I'm nervous. Very nervous. Portugal is cropping up as THE place to visit in 2017 thanks to newspapers like news.au.com which has named it the hottest travel destination for 2017. Stop telling everyone!

Bit rich coming from me, I know, but there is genuine cause for my concern. The last time I visited my favourite county I had the worst airport experience EVER at Faro. My concern is if tourism soars the infrastructure is not yet in place to deal with it.

For me, one of the best things about going to Portugal is that (usually) it is a stress-free experience. You'd stroll through Faro Airport with hardly a queue at all at passport control and be in a taxi heading for paradise before you could say obrigado.

All that changed when we flew out last October. The airport arrivals area was like a scene from Ben-Hur, absolute chaos. The automatic passport barriers packed up one by one until not a single one was working and hundreds of people were waiting in vain to get through manual passport control. It took about an hour to get through, by which time our luggage had vanished. Our flight was no longer showing on any screen and there was no one to help. I eventually found my case by pure chance and a lot of running around.

Thankfully our taxi was still waiting though we were officially a no-show after taking more than an hour-and a-half to leave the airport. We were flabbergasted at how bad it had been after numerous silky smooth visits. The only thing we could put it down to was the fact that a lot of schools were on an extended half term break in the UK. But we have flown during school holidays before without incident.

Sadly, it was not a one-off. When we came to leave, the queues at Faro to get through airport security were unbelievable. People were panicking they would miss their flights. Full marks to airport staff for getting most people on their flights but.... we did question what the hell was going on.

Tourism rose by 22% in Portugal in 2016 and I am delighted for my favourite country. But don't mess up this chance for success by failing at the first hurdle.

First impressions matter and if people have to deal with airport chaos, especially if they are elderly or struggling with small children, they may never come back.

7 ways to bring a bit of Portugal home in your hand luggage

REMINDERS of Portugal and its blue skies are essential to bring back to the UK -  or wherever you live. But if, like me, it's a budget airline jaunt with hand-luggage, bringing anything home other than your dirty knickers can be troublesome.

And I'm no fan of stupid knick-knacks either. I like useful stuff. It is possible to load up with port at FARO Airport but struggling with lots of clanking bottles is no joke either.

However, there  are a few things you can sneak into your hand luggage with relative ease. How about...

1. A new number for your house, Portuguese tile style? Here's mine. The frames a bit battered due to our great British weather but I love my little reminder of sunny holidays.

 
2. A drinks menu from your favourite bar is nice too, but do ask permission, of course. You can ponder your next cocktail for months while you're waiting to go back to Portugal.

3. A Super Bock glass. Again, you have to get to know a friendly barman but they are plentiful,

4. A tiny jar of Portuguese honey. I bought this at Quinta Do Mel in Acoteias, a lovely honey, tea and herb farm, B&B and café. We strolled along to it one day, were randomly invited to join a tour and then given a free glass of lemon verbena ice tea. Those super friendly Portuguese strike again. But I did buy some tea to take home and this... the honey's long gone but the sweet memory remains.

5. Cards from all your favourite bars and restaurants. It's a must folks...

6.  Pictures.... Your camera holds some great memories but, often, they end up stuck in our cameras or computers. I have favourite shots put on canvas prints. These are in my kitchen.

7. Finally, you can't get this in your hand luggage but foreign holidays sparked my love for geraniums. I grow and nurture them and even bring them indoors to nurse them through the British winter. The result? A magnificent summer display. Here's one of many pots I dot around my garden...