The Lonely Planet is one of the premier sources of information for people all across the world when researching a holiday and lists like this will quite literally put Dublin, and Ireland, on the map and more importantly in the mind’s eye of thousands of potential visitors.
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The £78m plans for The Factory arts space, which will become the permanent home of Manchester worldwide Festival at the old Granada Studios site, is also hailed as a sign of the city’s “lofty ambition”.
“Having Dublin listed as Lonely Planet’s third best city in the world for 2016 is fantastic news and will propel Dublin even further by encouraging a greater number of visitors to pay us a visit”.
It’s been a year of accolades for Manchester, the last few months seeing Soup Kitchen named among the UK’s best clubs, and the Whitworth Art Gallery crowned as Museum of the Year.
“Manchester has been transformed in recent years, with inspirational new openings, the reinvention of existing spaces and vast investment”, added James Smart, Lonely Planet’s destination editor for the United Kingdom and Ireland.
“Whatever experience travellers are after – culture, sport, shopping, nightlife – they won’t come away from Manchester disappointed”.
“The diaspora has turned inside out and Dublin is now a truly cosmopolitan capital, with an influx of people, energy and ideas infusing the ever-beguiling, multi-layered city with fresh flavours and kaleidoscopic colours”, Lonely Planet says.
Tourists the world over are being encouraged to pack their bags for a visit to Dublin’s fair city by the leading travel publisher.
“Over 40% of the population is estimated to be under 30 and the place pulsates with youthful vibrancy, optimism and creativity”, according to Lonely Planet.
The publisher says that Dublin will be a particularly good place to visit next year due to the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising.
The list was compiled by Lonely Planet’s experts based on exciting recent developments, destinations that have “a lot of buzz” and what special events are taking place next year. Dublin also made it onto the top 10 cities list, which was topped by Kotor in Montenegro.
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The city was also heralded for its youthful spirit.
