Dublin has been named as the "favourite worldwide city" at the Trazee awards held in Orlando, Florida.
Online publication trazeetravel.com organised the inaugural 'Trazees', which also named Aer Lingus as its "favourite airline in Europe”. The website is owned by Global Travel magazine and targets travelers aged 18-35.
Trazee editors and staff collected nominations from the web publication’s contributors and also invited readers to submit their favourites using online ballots.
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s head of North America said that a lot of work has been done building awareness in the US to make it attractive for tourists in this age bracket.
"These young independent travellers are open to travelling for shorter breaks and are looking for cities that offer vibrant and distinctive cultural experiences," said Metcalfe.
Recent CSO figures showed that visitors from North America spiked by nearly 15 per cent in 2015, and now 10 per cent of US tourists stop in Ireland when visiting Europe.
"[This is] particularly noteworthy given the intense competition from other destinations,” said Metcalfe, adding: "Tourism Ireland is determined to ensure that growth continues and we have an extensive programme of promotions under way in the US throughout 2015."
