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Susie Boulton – nominator of the restored Rijksmuseum for the BGTW Tourism awards says: “In all the 30 years I have been writing guidebooks on European cities I have never seen such a remarkable transformation of a national museum. Nor have I ever seen such enthusiasm and excitement of a nation as it waited for the opening day. The soaring new atrium, the revamped galleries, Cuypers’ Renaissance-revival building restored to its former glory – it’s all a far cry from the dark museum I remember from my student days. “Wim Pijbes, Director, the Rijksmuseum says: “We are very honoured to win this prestigious award. The long awaited re-opening was lauded the world over and has made a significant contribution to the tourism in Amsterdam and the Dutch economy in general. With 1.7 million visitors in 6 months, our goal is now to maintain this success. We put all our energy and creativity into attracting art and culture lovers from all over the world to Amsterdam/Holland to visit the Rijksmuseum”.