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Spike Island in Irish County Cork has won the "Oscars" of the travel industry and been crowned Europe’s leading tourist attraction of 2017.

The 104-acre former prison site in Cork harbour beat famed destinations like Buckingham Palace and the Eiffel Tower to claim the prize at the World Travel Awards 2017 in St Petersburg, Russia last night, the Independent reported.

It is the third victory in a row for Ireland following wins by Titanic Belfast last year and The Guinness Storehouse in 2015. In a huge win for Cork, it is also the first attraction outside the capital to earn a nomination.

The island, which is accessed by boat from Cobh, served as a monastery in the 6th Century. In the early 1800's a fortress was constructed to protect the island from Western Europe.

The fortress became a prison under British Rule in the 19th Century, before it was handed over to the Irish State in 1938 – one of the last areas to be handed back after independence.

Under Irish rule, it served as a prison again from 1985 to 2004.

As BBC reported, the star-shaped fortress opened to the public in 2015 and additional investment of 6m euros (£5.3m) by Cork County Council and Irish tourism authorities allowed the construction of tourist facilities.