Dublin has been named as one of the best cities in the world to visit by Lonely Planet.
Ireland’s capital finished an impressive third in the latest edition of the travel guide, beating fantastic destinations such as Rome, Paris and London.
Dublin has invested €22 million to prepare for the centenary celebrations of the Easter Rising which are set to take place next year.
Orla Carroll, who is head of Fáilte Ireland’s head of Dublin, was delighted with the announcement.
She said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Dublin. The Lonely Planet is one of the premier sources of information for people all across the world when researching a holiday and lists like this will quite literally put Dublin, and Ireland, on the map and more importantly in the mind’s eye of thousands of potential visitors.”
Lonely Planet has the biggest selling guide book series in the world and is considered to by many to be the holiday maker’s bible.
A spokesperson for Lonely Planet said: “Dublin should be on travellers’ must-see list. It’s pulsing with vibrancy, optimism and creativity. The city is truly buoyant; whilst also boasting inner green spaces and wild outdoor arenas along the coast. 2016 really is the time to go.”
It is a great boost for Ireland to have Dublin so high on the prestigious list. The tourism industry brings in around €3.5 billion overseas revenue into the country and employs over 200,000 people.
The only cities to finish ahead of Dublin in the list were Kotor in Montenegro and Quito in Ecuador. Nashville was the highest placed American city.
There were quite a few surprises in the top ten with Lonely Planet clearly not content to simply go for the most obvious or famous destinations.
The world’s top ten cities, according to Lonely Planet
1 – Kotor, Montenegro
2 – Quito, Ecuador
3 – Dublin, Ireland
4 – George Town, Malaysia
5 – Rotterdam, the Netherlands
6 – Mumbai, India
7 – Fremantle, Australia
8 – Manchester, U.K.
9 – Nashville, USA
10 – Rome, Italy
Visit Dublin recently released its latest promotional video which highlights the less famous aspects of the city.
Check out our list of things to do in Dublin
Take a look at the video below.
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