Tipperary has been named one of the top places to visit in the world next year by Condé Nast Traveller magazine.
It praises the county as a great destination for foodies - saying a "cornucopia of goodies can be gobbled up" in the Premiere County.
The magazine lists Tipperary alongside Birmingham, Jersey and Serbia as some of the best places to eat while travelling.
It highlights the "pleasures of an unfathomably creamy wedge of Cashel Blue".
The magazine also notes the "blustery shoreline of Lough Derg" as a good spot for walking, kayaking and cycling, as well as the county's woolen mills, craft distilleries and cave formations.
Con Traas is an owner of The Apple Farm in Tipperary, as well as a horticulture board member of Bord Bia.
He told The Pat Kenny Show the Condé Nast acknowledgement is great news for Tipp.
He said Tipperary is sharing space with other top destinations in the magazine, but the writers still managed to describe "an awful lot of what's happening" in the county in terms of food culture and outdoor activities.
He said: “From our point of view, we have a food network here in the county… that’s a big deal for us now.
"To get that mention in Condé Nast is really something else.”
He said a lot of people pass through Tipperary on the way to other destinations, but the county itself is a "hidden gem" when it comes to places to visit.
He pointed to popular tourist sites like the Rock of Cashel, as well as the plethora of great spots for walking and hiking.
Of course, Tipperary is also known internationally thanks to the enduring popularity of It's A Long Way To Tipperary.
Con said the song might lead to locals having to put up with lots of 'it's a long way...' jokes, but it's also a great marketing advantage for the county.
He observed: "The number of people who learnt that song in school, especially children on the continent learning English… it still has a certain resonance I suppose!"
Tipperary's place on the Condé Nast list comes after Dublin was recently named by Lonely Planet as one of the best cities to visit in 2022.
