Two cities in Ireland were ranked at the top of Europe's friendliest city list in the 2020 Condé Nast Traveller Reader Travel Awards.
More than 100,000 Condé Nast Traveller readers voted Galway as the number one friendliest city in Europe, while Dublin was named number two.
"While Europe's best cities are often judged on their ancient history, intricate architecture, unrivaled art scenes or amazing restaurants, sometimes what makes a place so great are its people," said the travel magazine.
Tourism Officer Ruairí Lehman said Galway City Council saw the honor as a recognition of the city's people, especially those working in the hospitality industry.
"This gives a much-needed boost and recognition to our industry who have worked so hard these last few months to offer a world class service within the safety guidelines and restrictions in place.
"While it is a difficult time for the industry, we will be open again soon and look forward to offering our award-winning welcome to visitors again."
Galway city: Kerwan's Lane in the city center.
The 2020 Condé Nast Traveller Reader Awards also saw four hotels in Ireland recognized among the top 10 resorts in Europe.
While the awards took place during the lockdown, "readers voted for the places that they love and would return to.”
Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons stated, "I am delighted to see that two of our cities feature in the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards 2020. It is another well-deserved accolade for Galway and Dublin.
"In what has been a devastating year for travel and tourism, this is some good news, reminding people everywhere that, when the time is right, the island of Ireland is a great choice for a holiday.
"Once this crisis is past and Ireland is open again to international visitors, we in Tourism Ireland will be ready to roll out an extensive recovery kick-start program and to play our part in delivering a sustainable recovery for the long-term future of our industry."
Here are Europe's 10 friendliest cities, according to Condé Nast Traveller readers:
- Galway, Ireland
- Dublin, Ireland
- Valletta, Malta
- Oporto, Portugal
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Bologna, Italy
- Edinburgh, UK
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- Athens, Greece
- Helsinki, Finland
The full results of the awards are revealed in Condé Nast Traveller's November 2020 issue, but the winners in each category can be found online here.
* Originally published on Oct 25, 2020.
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