It's no shock, but sooner or later we all had to realize the best global places to visit would be discovered by more tourists and eventually get overrun, threatening the natural charm and character of area and/or the site itself.
Such is the case with some of the World Heritage Sites in Asia and elsewhere. Booming global tourism industries are meeting the increased demand for travelers to go the distance and see something extraordinary. At a cost. Gadling reported on how National Geographic Traveler created their own rating of World Heritage Sites based on sustainable tourism.
Top 5 World Heritage Sites, by NGT's sustainability rating:
- Norway's West Fjords (rating 87)
- France's Vezelay (rating 81)
- Spain's Alhambra and medieval Granada (rating 81)
- New Zealand's Te Wahipounamu (rating 80)
- Mexico's Guantajuato (rating 80)
Bottom 5 World Heritage Sites, by NGT's sustainability rating:
- China/Tibet's Potala Palace, Lhasa, and environs (rating 46)
- Italy's Venice and its lagoons (rating 46)
- Ecuador's Galapagos Islands (rating 44)
- Panama's Portobelo-San Lorenzo (rating 41)
- Nepal's Kathmandu Valley (rating 39)
Every traveler should read the full list and consider the impact of flocking to see an international treasure. Then do what you can to support improvements, if possible. It's sort of a macro-economic tragedy of the commons. Food for thought.
Dear traveler’s
Warm Namaste from Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal…!!!
It is our pleasure to introduce Nepal Heritage Treks & Expedition Pvt. Ltd. as one of the most reputed Travel Tour operators based in Katmandu, which boasts 15 years experience in the tourist industry. In Nepal we provide trekking, expeditions, mountaineering, peak climbing, white-water rafting, culture tours, jungle safaris, bird watching, mountain biking, as well as sightseeing in and around the major towns of Nepal. Our services span the entire country and additionally beyond Nepal ''s borders to Tibet and India”.
With such a plethora of superlatives to choose from, we can proudly assert that as a travel destination, Nepal is truly a paradise. With its magnificent landscape of hills, mountains and jungles, its diversity of peoples and cultures, there exist remote routes leading to villages where you can discover the uniquely Nepali hospitality for which we are rightly famed. In such places you will realize that a visitor is treated like a walk-in-God.
We would like to convey such experiences to all those who are yet to visit Nepal. Our satisfied clients have left Nepal with many such stories. Such tourist experiences are clearly infectious, since we often hear from their friends who also want to see, feel and experience the magic of Nepal. On our part, the satisfaction of our valued guests who have seen and felt something extraordinary as never before is also a source of great satisfaction for us. Facilitating such memorable experiences for our guests is our primary goal.
And for those concerned about safety and professionalism, we would like to reassure potential guests that we have a superb network of rescue operations in the field. The safety and comfort of our guests is always of paramount importance.
Above and beyond the pre-planned itineraries we offer, we would also like to emphasize our flexibility in organizing any trip according to the needs and desires of our clients.
If you are interested both in competitive prices as well as a trusted name in the travel trade industry, then please contact us at the address below. Additionally, we would like to inform you about our specialist guides; available in order to make your trip easier, safer and more pleasurable. For further details on trip itineraries and programmers please check our website www.nepalheritagetreks.com
Sincerely,
Warm Regards From
Satya Man Lama (Chairman)
Nepal Heritage Treks & Expedition (P) Ltd.
http://www.nepalheritagetreks.com
http://www.oneworldfilms.com
Posted by: Satya Lama | September 09, 2007 at 01:16 AM
A sensitive and well-thought out approach needs to be adopted when tackling issues like world heritage sites slowly being ruined due to an excess of turism. No doubt, it's a well timed step to come out with a list of such sites and directives on how to adopt sustainable tourism to help protect our global heritage. Thanks....
Posted by: Kristen Cameron | April 21, 2009 at 11:16 AM