Search icon

Travel

05th Nov 2020

The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin is voted Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction

Trine Jensen-Burke

A brilliant win for Irish tourism.

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum has this week been awarded the title of Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards for the second year running.

In a year that has been devastating for the entire tourism- and travel industry, this is a wonderfully welcome win, and one that EPIC hopes will lift spirits within the industry, as well as flying the flag for Ireland.

This award is voted on by the public, meaning that EPIC was voted to be the most popular out of all other European tourist attraction finalists, including Buckingham Palace, The Eiffel Tower and even the Colosseum, to name a few. Previous winners of the award include the Guinness Storehouse and the London Eye.

The World Travel Awards are among the most prestigious travel awards, and this year they are celebrating their 27th anniversary. EPIC is the first entity to ever win the Leading Tourist Attraction award back-to-back.

Commenting on the win, Patrick Greene, Director of the EPIC Museum, said:

“We are immensely proud to receive this recognition two years running, especially against the backdrop of a challenging year. In the same spirit that more people are “shopping local”, we hope that Irish people will have even more reason to experience a two-time winner tourist attraction on their own doorstep,  and that we’ll be a must-see destination for overseas visitors again soon”.

EPIC has dedicated this award to Irish people everywhere. Particularly those who have been working to help others in their communities throughout the pandemic. The museum is a celebration of what it truly means to be Irish, going beyond stereotypes to celebrate the impact of Irish emigrants over 1,500 years, and the influence they have had on the world. From politics to poetry, to science, fashion and even infamy, Irish culture is popular all around the world because of these people.

“I’m delighted that EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum has won the prize for Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction in the World Travel Awards 2020, for the second time,” says Colm Brophy TD, Minister of State for Overseas Development and Diaspora.

“This is a wonderful tribute to the vision of the founder of the museum, Neville Isdell, and the great work by the curators, researchers, designers and many others at EPIC. ”

Since March, the museum has adapted with restrictions, and has connected with visitors in an online capacity more than ever before. EPIC has virtually welcomed over 20,000 people in 2020, through a series of workshops, webinars, virtual tours, and history pack downloads aimed at younger Irish history enthusiasts.