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An ultimate destination

by Cathy Buckmaster

Eight Irish attractions and experiences have made it into Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List, with the Wild Atlantic Way coming in at number 21 — the highest new entry of any new experience.

Unveiled on 7 October, the second edition of Lonely Planet’s bestselling 320-page volume ranks the best 500 places in order of their greatness. As well as stunning imagery, the influential coffee-table book details locations across the world that the veteran travel publisher deems “the most thrilling, memorable, downright interesting places on this planet”.

The eight Irish attractions featured are the Giant’s Causeway in Antrim; the Ring of Kerry; Connemara in Galway; Brú na Bóinne in Meath; Sliabh Liag in Donegal; Titanic Belfast; and Trinity College Dublin — as well as the Wild Atlantic Way coastal route, which ranks in the top 25.

It’s not hard to see why the spectacular coastal route has performed so well; there are points of interest at every twist and turn along its 2600km stretch. With rugged cliffs, misty mountains, white sand beaches and charming villages, the Wild Atlantic Way is truly the ideal route for the ultimate road trip — as shown by our own photographic journey through the region earlier this year.


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While travel is on pause this year as a result of COVID-19, Ireland welcomed almost 11.2 million overseas visitors in 2019, which brought revenue of almost €5.8 billion. Responding to the Lonely Planet list, Tourism Ireland said: “At a time when international visitors cannot travel here, Tourism Ireland is aiming to ‘keep the lights on’ for the island of Ireland, to help ensure that we stay ‘front-of-mind’ with prospective visitors for future holidays.”

 CEO of Tourism Ireland Niall Gibbons said he was delighted to see eight fantastic attractions and experiences on the island of Ireland feature in the latest edition of Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List.

“I would like to thank Lonely Planet for the wonderful support they have shown to Ireland over the years. In what has been a truly terrible year for travel and tourism, this accolade is some good news for overseas tourism to Ireland. It will help ensure that Ireland stays front-of-mind with prospective travellers around the world, until such time as they can visit again.”

Topping the Lonely Planet list this year was Petra in Jordan, followed by the Galápagos Islands and then Uluru in Australia. Here at ALHAUS, once travel is back on the cards, we can't wait to complete this ultimate travel list — Irish destinations and beyond.

lonelyplanet.com/landing/ultimate-travel-list
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