'Wonders' of view for Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare have made it to the final stage of the“New 7 Wonders of Nature" campaign it was announced today.

The 700ft sea cliffs are vying for one of the seven top places with 28 other finalists which include the Amazon rainforest, the Dead Sea, the Grand Canyon in the United States, the Matterhorn, the Maldives, Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia and Table Mountain in South Africa.

The seven locations will be chosen by votes from the public all over the world over the next two years and the winners will be announced in 2011.

Director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience Katherine Webster said she was "absolutely delighted" that the cliffs made it to the final. "To be in the top 28 wonders of nature is a fantastic recognition for the cliffs," she said.

Ms Webster has put the achievement down to a campaign launched though social networknig sites, tapping into the Irish diaspora, and promotion by sponsors 7up free.

"So many people all over the world have it as a special place in their heart. Even if they have not been here many people know of it and want to come here," she said.

The competition began with over 400 nominees and were narrowed down in stages by both public vote and the votes of an expert panel.

The cliffs also featured in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Princewhich was released last week.

Almost one million people visit the cliffs every year and visitor numbers have held up "pretty well" this year and has seen an increase in Irish visitors

"It's down six per cent on last year but given the stat of he world we are very happy with that," Ms Webster said. The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience was the second-most popular fee-charging tourist attraction in 2008 with 940,455 visitors.

"This is an extraordinary achievement and the eyes of the planet will be upon the Cliffs of Moher and Ireland for the next 2 years," said Bernard Weber, Founder and President of New7Wonders.

Online voting has reopened even to members of the public who voted in the past. Over the next two years competition representatives will tour all of the final wonders and will showcase them to the public.