It will come as no surprise to the thousands of visitors who visit every year, but Ireland has been named the fourth best country in the world for travel experiences.
The sky-high ranking comes from tourists who use the holiday website Tripadvisor.
Attractions as diverse as the rugged hiking tour of Howth, the Easter Rising tour and the Whiskey tasting experience in Dublin helped swing the vote Ireland’s way.
The vote of confidence comes only a few days after Ireland’s cuisine was put on the culinary map with Irish stew being ranked as one of the world’s Top 50 food experiences.
So who pipped us to the top three Tripadvisor spots?
Costa Rica took first place thanks to its volcanos, waterfall treks, and a sloth seeing tour.
New Zealand came second with its adventure tourism playing a major part in its popularity.
Fabulous food and wonderful beaches helped Vietnam secure top spot.
Here’s the full top ten.
1. Costa Rica
2. New Zealand
3. Vietnam
4. Ireland
5. Scotland
6. Australia
7. Portugal
8. Mexico
9. US
10. Iceland
TripAdvisor says the rankings were calculated using destination ratings and reviews for bookable experiences.
Niall Gibbons, CEO for the all-island marketing organisation, Tourism Ireland, welcomed the ranking: “The findings are based on travellers’ own experiences on holidays here, so the inclusion of Ireland in this list is particularly good news – helping to give us ‘stand-out’ in a very competitive international marketplace.”
Hayley Coleman, TripAdvisor spokesperson, said: “Ireland’s ranking among countries like Costa Rica and New Zealand, firmly cements the country, with its magnificent outdoors and vibrant culture, as a top destination for travel experiences.
“These lists are perfect inspiration to start planning your next trip.”
Irish tourist chiefs will be hoping that for many millions of people across the world, that “next trip” will be to Ireland, taking in attractions like the Ring of Kerry, the Wild Atlantic Way and many, many more.
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