The team at Waterford Treasures are in celebratory mode as it has been announced that the Irish Museum of Time has been selected as the only Irish finalist for the esteemed British Guild of Travel Writers International Tourism Awards 2022.
The British Guild of Travel Writers is the UK's leading organisation of travel media professionals, established in 1960. The Guild is a rubber stamp of quality. The name stands for reliability and respectability in the fiercely competitive world of travel journalism.
The criteria for membership of the guild is incredibly tough – and every single one of the guild's 270 members has to satisfy an annual audit to retain Guild membership.
Only Guild members can nominate and vote for tourism attractions and destinations for the annual awards and the award-winning global travel writer and guild member Isabel Conway selected to nominate The Irish Museum of Time following her visit to the museum earlier this summer. Since that initial nomination, The Irish Museum of Time has undergone a rigorous judging process by the British Guild of Travel Writers and it has now made it to the finalist selection as just one of 6 attractions/projects in the running for the best tourism project in UK and Ireland award 2022.
The Tourism Awards are for those in the travel trade and are judged entirely by the Guild.
Speaking on the news of reaching the final stages Waterford Treasures Director Eamonn McEneaney said:
“When we heard the news earlier this week we were absolutely bowled over. Being shortlisted for these awards a couple of months ago was to us a really wonderful achievement but to now be listed in the top 6 visitor attractions in the UK and Ireland is a real feat and we are overjoyed. The entire team at Waterford Treasures work tirelessly to ensure that the very best visitor experience is delivered to all of our guests day in and day out; therefore this finalist position is really a testament to that hard work and such a wonderful reward for us all.”
Picture: Patrick Browne
The Irish Museum of Time is listed as a finalist alongside, the Holocaust Galleries, Imperial War Museum London, First Light Festival and East Point Pavillion, Lowestoft, Hermaness Hill Path and Welcome Area, Shetland Islands, Private Women-Led: Ethiopian Flavours in Shepard’s Bush with Coffee Ceremony, London and The Famous Blacksmiths Shop in Gretna Green.
The next stage of the awards process is a private guild member voting opportunity to choose each winner in the three categories - UK and Ireland; Europe and Wider World. The winners will be announced at the very high-profile awards ceremony which is always held on the eve of the annual tourism event in London, World Travel Market on November 6th.
The British Travel Writers Guild Awards provide the first opportunity for around 340 ambassadors, ministers of state, travel & tourism CEOs and their top executives, PRs and key travel editors, journalists and bloggers, to get together and network as they arrive in London for the global tourism event.
Speaking of reaching the final, travel writer and journalist Isabel Conway said:
“This is a real testament to the wonderful visitor attraction that is The Irish Museum of Time. This category in the 2022 awards was the most hotly contested category with by far the most nominations, I am truly delighted for the team at the museum to reach the final, it is a huge achievement in itself. This is an absolutely deserved place for the Irish Museum of Time; it is an amazing overall tourism attraction –the Viking Triangle and the Waterford Treasures collection of museums really put Waterford on the map as a destination to visit and write about for our UK and overseas travel writer members, including those who don’t know Ireland or Waterford, all of which will secure invaluable future publicity.”
The Irish Museum of Time opened to visitors in 2021 and it is the fifth museum as part of the Waterford Treasures suite in Waterford.
Visitors can enjoy a ‘Freedom of Waterford’ ticket enabling them to access all of the museums and a guided walking tour under one ticket price 7 days per week. For further details see www.waterfordtreasures.com
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