Ireland named 'Best Destination in Europe' by leading US travel publication

Ireland has been named as the best travel destination in Europe at the 20th annual Travel Weekly Reader's Choice Awards in New York.

It is the ninth year in a row that Ireland has won the award. Representatives for Tourism Ireland accepted the award at a ceremony.

Ireland beat off competition from a number of other European travel destinations — including Italy, France, Greece, Spain and Croatia — to secure the award.

Travel Weekly is a leading weekly newspaper for American travel agents and travel professionals. The award was voted on by thousands of readers of the publication.

Accepting the award in New York, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America Alison Metcalfe said: "We are delighted that Ireland has been singled out for the ninth year in a row for this prestigious award.

"Travellers nowadays have tremendous choice, which makes it more important than ever for us to ensure the island of Ireland stands out from other destinations – so this award is really good news, as we prepare to kick off another extensive and targeted promotional drive in 2023.”

The United States remains an extremely important market for tourism to the island of Ireland. In 2019, 1.7 million American visited Ireland, and delivered €1.6 billion for the economy.

Alison Metcalfe continued: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank our travel trade partners across the United States – who continue to play a hugely important role in helping us promote the island of Ireland.

"I would also like to acknowledge the hugely important contribution of our tourism partners from the island of Ireland, who joined us on the ground in the US this year, helping to spread the word about why Ireland is such a great choice for a vacation. We look forward to working together again in 2023."