TINTERN Abbey is one of the UK’s best tourism attractions, according to its visitors.

The historic site won the award, given by Irish bus tour operator, CIE Tours International, for the third consecutive year.

The tour operator recognised the quality of the UK’s hotels and visitor attractions by awarding Tintern Abbey and 34 other tourism providers, a merit award in its UK Awards of Excellence.

The Welsh Government’s deputy minister for culture, sport and tourism, Ken Skates, said: “It is a great accolade that Tintern Abbey has been recognised internationally as being an excellent day out for visitors to the UK. Tourism contributes a significant amount to the Welsh economy and Ireland has historically been our largest international market in terms of volume of visitors, bringing benefits not only the attractions such as Tintern Abbey directly, but also the surrounding local businesses, shops and cafés.

“Our Places of Worship are an important pull for visitors to Wales and Visit Wales have introduced a Faith Tourism Action Plan to raise awareness and improve visitors experiences.

“Excellent customer service is crucial for a thriving tourism industry and I am pleased Tintern has left visitors with a positive impression of our magnificent country which I hope means they will encourage their friends and family to visit in future.”