A museum that celebrates the Irish diaspora has been named Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards for the second year in a row.
EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum, is an interactive museum in Dublin that tells the story of Ireland's emigrants. For the second year running it was named Europe's Leading Attraction at the World Travel Awards, otherwise known as the 'Oscars' of the travel industry. Voted by the public, EPIC beat well-known landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower and the Colosseum to claim the top spot. Making it the first attraction to claim the title twice in the awards' 27-year history.
Speaking about the win, Ireland's president Michael D Higgins said: "the award is public recognition for its role in highlighting Ireland's emigrant experiences, its causes and consequences, and its relevance to the stories of those who are, today, escaping marginalization, poverty and conflict."
The museum documents the impact Irish emigrants have had on the world, the challenges they faced and how they shaped the cultures of their new homelands. It also facilitates visitors who want to trace their Irish roots. During the pandemic and various lockdowns, it has managed to adapt to social distancing guidelines through a series of workshops, webinars and virtual tours, alongside services for those who want to know more about their Irish heritage – welcoming more than 20,000 visitors online in 2020.
"We are immensely proud to receive this recognition two years running, especially against the backdrop of a challenging year," said Patrick Greene, director of the EPIC Museum. "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."
For more World Travel Award winners, see here.
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