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Irish Are Friendly in Both Worlds

Ireland might have a reputation for bleak weather but it seems to have everything else going its way at the moment. The Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008 just decided that Ireland is the world's friendliest vacation destination, with its "deliciously dark sense of humor."

Not only are the Irish welcoming to tourists stepping upon their shores, but they're also virtually welcoming. Tourism Ireland claims to be the first such organization to have launched a marketing campaign in that other world, Second Life. (That'd put the Irish at odds with the Dutch, who claim to be the first in cyberspace.) First or not, there's a great replica of the city of Dublin in-game and the tourist board is holding a virtual festival there, leading up to a big St. Patrick's Day celebration in February 2008.

There's only one thing that worries us about this latest idea: If the virtual Ireland in Second Life becomes interesting enough, won't people stop visiting the real Ireland? Or does the full extent of friendliness only become apparent when you're face-to-(real)-face with those jovial Irish?

Related Stories:
· Discover Ireland in Second Life [Yahoo]
· Ireland Top of Friendly Nations List [Belfast Telegraph]
· Second Life Travel: Holland Tourism Board [Jaunted]
· Ireland Travel coverage [Jaunted]