National Geographic readers give Scotland’s attractions top marks
● Gleneagles and museum ranked world winners
Gleneagles Hotel and the National Museum of Scotland have won awards in a competition organised by a prestigious international travel magazine.
National Geographic Traveller asked readers to nominate the world’s best destinations, airlines and tour operators.
The two Scottish winners in the magazine’s third annual Reader Awards 2017 join a list of winners that includes the Taj ma hal in india and the lost City of Kuelap in Peru.
Five-star Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Perthshire, which won the Domestic Bliss (UK Hotel) category, was described as an exemplary country house hotel that “delivered old-fashioned elegance” and “top quality in every department”.
The hotel took first place ahead of The Pig on the Beach in Dorset and Chewton Glen Hampshire.
Conor O’leary, Gleneagles’ general manager, said: “We’re delighted to win this award, which is the latest in a string of prestigious awards for the hotel in 2017.
“It’s an accolade which reflects the significant investment we’ve made across the estate over the last 20 months, as well as our commitment to delivering an outstanding allround guest experience.
“We’d like to thank all the readers of National Geographic who voted for us.”
The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh won the New National Treasure (UK Attraction) category.
Judges said it was one of the world’s top 20 visited galleries and museums and that readers had chosen it as “the very pinnacle of cultural places to visit in the UK”.
The two other finalists were Iron Bridge in Shropshire and Hintze Hall at the Natural History Museum in London. A museum spokeswoman said: “We are delighted the National Museum of Scotland has been named best new national treasure in the prestigious National Geographic Traveller Reader Awards.
“The 2016 opening of ten new galleries of applied art, design, fashion, science and technology is the latest stage in our £80 million masterplan to transform the museum and the new galleries have been hugely popular with our visitors.”
A Visitscotland spokesman said: “To be recognised by such a prestigious travel publication as National Geographic Traveller is a fantastic achievement and marks a stunning year for both winners, in which Gleneagles scooped a hat-trick of awards at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards and the National Museum of Scotland welcomed a stunning two million visitors through its doors in a year for the first time.”
The magazine’s Januaryfebruary 2018 edition also has a seven-page spread on Edinburgh, featuring hotels.
The publication describes the city as “educated, cultured, hard-drinking and handsome”.
“To be recognised by such a prestigious travel publication is a fantastic achievement and marks a stunning year for both winners.
VISITSCOTLAND