Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards 2016 has named Ireland as the "best destination" in Europe for the third consecutive year. The winners, which were voted by 15,000 of the weekly newspaper's readers, were announced at the Conrad New York and saw Ireland beat other finalists England; France; Germany; Italy; and Spain reports The Irish Independent.
"Travellers nowadays have tremendous choice, which makes it more important than ever to ensure the island of Ireland stands out from other destinations. This award is really good news," said Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland's CEO.
Ireland has had its best year ever for overseas tourism as it welcomed 10.5 million visitors and won numerous accolades such as Kerry's Skellig Ring being named by Lonely Planet as one of the top 10 regions in the world to visit next year; Ballyfin Demesne in Co Laois named the world's best hotel at the Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards; and Titanic Belfast crowned 'Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction' by The World Travel Awards.
However, Gibbons has warned that there may be "sustainability issues" in Dublin and at big attractions, restricting growth to around 1 per cent in 2017.
