Ireland is Best for Tourists according to US magazine.

by Thejournal.ie

As the gathering enters its final days, there’s some good news for the Irish tourism industry.

Ireland has beat off stiff competition to be named the best tourism destination in a survey of more than 22,000 readers of a US travel magazine.

Travel industry bosses were presented at the award last night in Los Angeles by Global Traveler magazine, which asked frequent travellers to select their favourite destinations, airlines and hotels.

It is the tenth year of the Global Traveler awards and the second year in a row that Ireland has won.

Photo: Irishlandscapes.ie

More than one million people from North America visited Ireland this year, which Tourism Ireland says contributed around $1 billion (€730 million) to the Irish economy.

The summer time was the best for tourism in Ireland in the last six years, according to the Central Statistics Office, with  more than 2.2 million trips to the country between July and September.

The head of Tourism Ireland said the award was good news for Ireland in the face of tough competition.

“Travellers nowadays have tremendous choice, which makes it more important than ever for us to ensure the island of Ireland stand out from other destinations – so this award is really good news, particularly as we prepare to kick off our extensive 2014 promotional drive in the all-important US market,” said Niall Gibbons.

Read: Why Ireland loves Americans

Also Read: The best Summer Destinations in Ireland

WestJet Airlines stages "Christmas Miracle"

The guys at "TheBlaze.com" have reported this story.

Rather than bag fees or lost luggage, over 250 airline passengers at airports in Toronto and Hamilton received a “Christmas miracle” from WestJet.

WestJet, an airline based in Calgary (Canada), first set up a virtual Santa who asked various passengers what they wanted for Christmas via a live video feed. “Ho, ho, ho!” Santa belted out.

He would know each passenger’s name after the boarding passes were scanned at the kiosk, enabling him to surprise children and adults alike.

Some asked for toys, others for clothes, while one couple jokingly asked for a really big flat-screen TV. It was all good fun and resulted in some laughs.

And that was it — or so they thought.

While the passengers’ flights were in the air, 175 WestJet volunteers ran out and frantically gathered the list of gifts the people had asked Santa for. As in, all of them.

Fair play!

Source: www.theblaze.com

This will make you want to Travel more

We would all love to travel the world on one epic adventure I'm sure, but how many of us can realistically do it? 

Well Louis Cole is one of the lucky few who can...and did! He made this two minute video showing what he did since the year began, and I'll admit, I am more than a little bit jealous.

The 30 year old adventurer is no stranger to YouTube fame having made some pretty weird videos of himself eating live cockroaches, scorpions etc.

Now he spends his free time (and he obviously has lots of it) travelling the world and documenting his adventures. His life looks like one massive music video. We salute you Louis! 

You may also like: Lost in Slovakia

Also Read: Ghosts of Krakow

#TravelFamily

Bunkers Bar, Killorglin

One of my favourite bars, and indeed a favourite of the other locals in Killorglin, is Bunkers. A cosy, welcoming pub in the heart of Killorglin town. It is a vibrant and lively spot at the weekends, with an atmosphere to keep a silly grin on your face all night.

I tried frowning, didn't work

Part of the charm is the incredibly friendly staff, as with any bar or restaurant they are the life-blood of the place. If you're lucky, Tom the barman will have a few tales for you to keep you entertained for a while as you sip at your pint. Let's not forget the local punters, an interesting bunch always with stories to tell, sports to discuss or politics to debate. If you are a visitor, be prepared to have your family tree examined and find that you may after all have roots in Killorglin.

Your great-grandfather once stopped to use the loo here!

At the weekends you are likely to encounter some live music performed by various talented artists, or the occasional trad session on a Sunday evening. During the daylight ours, if you feel like grabbing a bite to eat, the food in Bunkers will delight and pleasure your taste-buds like no other food in the town. With delicious daily specials and an amazing A la Carte Menu, there are is a fine selection of magnificent food for you to choose from.

You may also like: 5 Things You Shouldn't do in a Big City

Also see: The Beauty of Caragh Lake

Things only Irish People will get

Countless Facebook pages are set up daily, most go relatively unnoticed, some peak quickly and are then forgotten about, and every so often one will appear that sticks in our mind. Things only Irish people will get is a page which is very popular at the moment. It is both witty, funny and relative to us all!

With Pictures like this how could it not be?

But I am not writing this post merely to promote a Facebook page, I am writing this post because this particular page has a story behind it. Created by a young man from Galway by the name of James Keane, he is using the popularity of his page to help raise awareness and funds for Aoibheanns pink tie, a charity which aids children with cancer (a very worthy cause I am sure you will all agree). James has been putting a lot of effort into the campaign, along with studying for exams, and deserves credit for both his generosity and entrepreneurial spirit.

Not to mention the Lady killer look.

It is always great to see the young people of Ireland dedicating their time and effort to help a good cause. The more people like James Keane that we have in this country, the better we will all be for it. It would be a shame for this young lads efforts to be in vain, so please log onto ireachapparel.org to aid this amazing cause, and maybe pick yourself up a nice t-shirt while your at it!

Thanks to Douglas Ackerman, whose email brought this young mans efforts to my attention

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