Northern Ireland

Titanic Belfast: officially the world's leading tourist attraction

First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness pictured alongside Titanic Belfast CEO Tim Husbands MBE, Vice Chairman Conal Harvey and Titanic Foundation CEO Kerrie Sweeney to celebrate Titanic Belfast being named the World&rsquo;s Leading Tourist Attraction.<br />&nbsp;
First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness pictured alongside Titanic Belfast CEO Tim Husbands MBE, Vice Chairman Conal Harvey and Titanic Foundation CEO Kerrie Sweeney to celebrate Titanic Belfast being named the World&rsquo First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness pictured alongside Titanic Belfast CEO Tim Husbands MBE, Vice Chairman Conal Harvey and Titanic Foundation CEO Kerrie Sweeney to celebrate Titanic Belfast being named the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction.
 

TITANIC Belfast has been crowned the best tourist attraction in the world.

With more than one million votes cast from over 216 countries in the awards, known as the 'Tourism Oscars', the Belfast attraction was awarded the title at the World Travel Awards in the Maldives yesterday.

It beat eight global finalists including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the Las Vegas Strip and the Machu Picchu in Peru to secure the title. The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin was also in the running.

It is the first time an attraction from Ireland has won the prestigious accolade.

Tim Husbands from Titanic Belfast said: "The Titanic story captures hearts and minds throughout the world and at Titanic Belfast this is no exception.

"Our interpretation of the story and ability to engage with visitors on many different levels has been fundamental in winning this award.

"With the award, we hope to attract more tourists to Northern Ireland to discover it."

The new title puts the Belfast landmark on a par with previous winners such as the Taj Mahal in India and the Egyptian pyramids.

Stormont leaders offered their congratulations.

First Minister Arlene Foster said: "We always knew that in Titanic Belfast, we were home to a world class attraction that would become a global brand."

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the win would "help in our global pitch to make the north of Ireland one of the world's top tourism destinations".