The prestigious "Lonely Planet" travel guidebook has listed both Ireland and America in its top ten friendliest countries in the world.
 
The list was compiled in their latest book "1,000 Ultimate Experiences."
 
Other countries to crack the top ten include Malawi, Turkey, Samoa, Thailand, Fiji, Vietnam, Scotland and Indonesia.
 
Failte Ireland chief executive Shaun Quinn said that nine out of every ten holidaymakers said meeting "friendly, hospitable people" was a determining factor in choosing Ireland as a holiday destination.
 
 “Over the years, our research has constantly found that the warmth and friendliness of our people, along with our green landscapes and scenery, are the biggest draws for overseas visitors, said Quinn.
 
The Lonely Planet guidebook said that years of immigration, turmoil and hardship, left the Irish with a "deliciously dark sense of humor.”
 
Quinn added: "These days, after the end of the Troubles, a cautious optimism reigns supreme infecting the land with the sense that anything’s possible."