Looking for travel inspiration? National Geographic has just dropped its list of top must-see destinations for 2023 and includes a new category.
In December 2021, Laos inaugurated a train connecting the north, from the small town of Boten, to the capital Vientiane. The train is about 400 kilometers long and is designed to boost local tourism. Around the world, such local tourism initiatives that support community conservation have been identified by National Geographicwhich has decided to make them a category of their own in the annual list of must-see destinations for the coming year.
Eighty-four percent of travelers in the United States, Germany, Brazil, France and the United Kingdom would choose Italy for vacation, according to a Confcommercio / Istituto Piepoli study broadcast by the Schengen news portal this week. Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, accommodation booking giant Booking.com reported that Paris had regained its position as the world’s most coveted destination this autumn.
And just a few days ago, the “World Travel Awards” announced Portugal as the best tourist destination in Europe. That’s right, lists of top destinations and title-winning cities and countries are often based on the same locations, just changing the order from year to year.
But for US travel-focused media National Geographic, A new element has been added to its lists dedicated to identifying interesting trips and top destinations to plan in 2023. While the “adventure” and “nature” categories will rightly be of interest to backpackers, a new genre, under the heading of “community,” now offers suggestions of where to go when looking for a sustainable getaway that embraces the principles of slow travel and inclusivity.
Take Laos, featured in National Geographic’s top five. While the country’s borders reopened last May, the country did not wait for foreign travelers to return to boost its tourism, instead focusing on boosting domestic travel. In December 2021, a train named after an ancient kingdom in the area, Lane Xang, was inaugurated, taking travelers about 400 kilometers from Boten City to the capital Vientiane. To visit the ancient capital of Luang Prabang, it took at least five hours by road, while by train, Laotians now need only two hours.
At a time when tourism needs to include more local community involvement to better preserve culture and ecosystems and avoid spawning museum towns, National Geographic also highlights the Dodecanese Islands. While Rhodes and Kos are the two tourism superstars of this part of Greece, the island of Karpathos should soon take center stage through its efforts to integrate locals, such as fishermen and winemakers, into tourist excursions.
Among other destinations singled out for their efforts in sustainability and local inclusion mentioned by the media is Ghana. Pre-pandemic Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo invited travelers of African heritage to visit the country to “explore their roots”.
Meanwhile in North America, two destinations are part of the inclusive travel dynamic: the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. due to the transformation of traditional neighborhoods, including an arts and culture center dedicated to African American art, and Alberta, a Canadian province, where various sites allow visitors to learn about the history and culture of the indigenous peoples of the area.
Here’s the full list of National Geographic’s top must-see destinations for 2023:
culture
Appian Way, Italy
Busan, South Korea
Longmen Grottoes, Henan Province, China
Egypt
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Nature
Scottish Highlands, UK
BOTSWANA
Slovenia
Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
Azores Islands, Portugal
Adventure
New Zeland
Choquequirao, Peru
Utah
Austrian Alps
Revillagigedo National Park, Mexico
Dodecanese Islands, Greece
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Alberta, Canada
laos
Ghana
Family
Trinidad and Tobago
San Francisco, California
Colombia
Manchester, England
Switzerland
This article was published by AFP Relaxnews
