The Home of Guinness in Dublin sees off competition from Buckingham Palace and the Eiffel Tower to be named Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction and Europe’s Leading Beer Tour Visitor Experience 2023 at the prestigious World Travel Awards, which was held in Batumi, Georgia, on Friday 29th September.
The Guinness Storehouse tells the story of one of Ireland’s most loved brands, Guinness. Visitors from Ireland and abroad discover what goes into making each pint, learn about the incredible brand history stretching over 260 years, its iconic advertising, as well as a tasting like no other. The experience unfolds across seven floors, including the highlight for many visitors - the famous Gravity Bar, where visitors can enjoy unparalleled panoramic 360⁰ views of Dublin city. The Guinness Storehouse is located in heart of Dublin’s Liberties, an area renowned for its brewing and distilling history.
WTA was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.
Today, the WTA brand is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire. Each year, WTA covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognize and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region.
WTA gala ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries and international print and broadcast media.
Catherine Toolan, Managing Director, Diageo Irish Brand Homes, said: “We are absolutely delighted to accept both of these prestigious awards on behalf of the whole team at The Guinness Storehouse. We are honoured to be in categories with such renowned tourist attractions from across Europe. This is fantastic recognition for Irish tourism, and for everyone at Home of Guinness, who create a world-class visitor experience and a warm Irish welcome for the thousands of people each day.
Now in its 30th year, The World Travel Awards, often dubbed the “Tourism Oscars,” is the most prestigious, comprehensive, and sought-after awards programme in the global travel and tourism industry. The awards acknowledge, reward, and celebrate excellence and are recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence.
Toolan added: “In the past 12 months, we have welcomed 1.4M visitors to the Guinness Storehouse from 165 countries, who come through our famous black gates to experience the best of modern Irish culture, to learn more about our Irish stout, and get a taste of our beautiful pints.”
Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, added his support:
“I'd like to congratulate Catherine, and all the team at the Home of Guinness for their impressive performance this year. This award is excellent recognition for the quality of the visitor experience at the Guinness Storehouse and is particularly special as these awards are voted for by the public. The Guinness Storehouse is an important part of the tourism offering in Dublin and offers a unique and world-class visitor experience for anyone visiting Ireland, as well as for visitors to Europe from around the world.”
Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive Designate of Tourism Ireland, said: “Congratulations to the Guinness Storehouse on being named Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction and, for the second year in a row, Europe’s Leading Beer Tour Visitor Experience. These are truly well-deserved accolades and testament to the hard work of the staff. Overseas visitors regularly tell us that their holiday in Ireland has surpassed their expectations and a visit to Guinness Storehouse is certainly a ‘must see’ now on everyone’s itinerary. These latest awards will give Tourism Ireland another wonderful opportunity to continue to highlight Dublin and Ireland as a world-class destination. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the team at the Guinness Storehouse, as we warmly welcome our overseas visitors who’re coming to experience all that the Guinness Storehouse and our great city of Dublin have to offer.”
The Guinness Storehouse gives Guinness lovers the chance to experience the history, heart, and soul of Ireland’s most iconic beer. A visit to the Home of Guinness includes a behind-the-scenes look at the craft of brewing a perfect pint of the Black Stuff, an exhibition and cinema room experience dedicated to the history of Guinness advertising, and the chance to enjoy a pint in the Gravity Bar while enjoying Dublin’s best view. As well as the incredible history, learn about the future of Guinness and its most recent innovations including Guinness Nitro Surge, Guinness Microdraught and Guinness 0.0.