The top attractions in Europe have been unveiled at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Europe Gala Ceremony in Madeira.
Winners at the red carpet reception included The Land of Legends Theme Park in Turkey and LEGOLAND Windsor Resort.
Epic The Irish Emigration Museum was named Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction, beating Buckingham Palace, the Colosseum and the Eiffel Tower.
LEGOLAND Windsor Resort was crowned Europe’s Leading Theme Park Resort. Its competitor’s were Alton Towers, Disneyland Paris, Efteling, Europa-Park, Gardaland, Liseberg, and PortAventura World.
Leading attractions in Europe
The Land of Legends Theme Park won the title of Europe’s Leading Theme Park Hotel, over Alton Towers Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, Disneyland Paris, PortAventura Hotel Mansion de Lucy, Spain, and Thorpe Shark Hotel.
Graham E Cooke, WTA Founder, said: “Our inaugural ceremony in Madeira has proved an incredible success. We have had the privilege of recognising the leading destinations, hotels, resorts, airlines and travel providers from across Europe and my congratulations to each of our winners.”
Check out some of the attractions winners below:
Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2019 – EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Europe’s Leading Tourism Development Project 2019 – Passadiços do Paiva (Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark)
Europe’s Leading Theme Park Resort 2019 – LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, England
Europe’s Leading Theme Park Hotel 2019 – The Land of Legends Theme Park, Turkey
Europe’s Leading Safari Tour Operator 2019 – Yellow Zebra Safaris
Europe’s Leading Tour Operator 2019 – TUI Group
Europe’s Leading Sports Resort 2019 – La Manga Club, Spain
Europe’s Leading Casino Resort 2019 – Kempinski Grand Hotel Des Bains, Switzerland
Europe’s Leading Cruise Line 2019 – Norwegian Cruise Line
Europe’s Leading Distillery Tour 2019 – Jameson Distillery Bow St, Ireland
Europe’s Leading Entertainment Hotel 2019 – Rixos Sungate, Turkey
Europe’s Leading Family & Wellness Resort 2019 – Pullman Timi Ama Sardegna, Italy
Europe’s Leading Wellness Hotel 2019 – Grandhotel Lienz, Austria
Europe’s Leading Fully Integrated Resort 2019 – Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa, Turkey
Europe’s Leading Green Hotel 2019 – Sandymount Hotel, Ireland
Europe’s Leading Green Resort 2019 – Resort Valle dell’Erica Thalasso & SPA, Italy
Europe’s Leading Leisure Resort 2019 – Mriya Resort & Spa
Europe’s Leading Lifestyle Hotel 2019 – Rixos Premium Göcek, Turkey
The Europe ceremony marked the fourth leg of the WTA Grand Tour 2019 – a search for the finest travel and tourism organisations in the world.
Other 2019 regional ceremonies include Montego Bay (Jamaica), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Mauritius, La Paz (Bolivia), Phu Quoc (Vietnam), with the winners progressing to the Grand Final in Muscat (Oman).
Image: Merlin Entertainments/EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum