For the past six years, National Geographic Traveler magazine has, in conjunction with the National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations, devoted its "Places Rated" Destination Stewardship survey to some of the world's most traveled and well-loved destinations.

Survey results provide insight into just how well these places are standing up to the pressures of tourism and climate degradation, culturally and environmentally.

This year, a panel of 437 travel experts from the sustainable tourism industry surveyed 133 destinations. Many factors were taken into consideration during the evaluation process, which included examining the qualities that make a destination unique, measuring the "integrity of a place" and assessing its authenticity and stewardship. The ratings were based on six criteria: environmental and ecological quality; social and cultural integrity; condition of historic buildings and archaeological sites; aesthetic appeal; quality of tourism management; and outlook for the future.

The surveyed destinations were placed in one of five categories: Best-Rated Places, Places Doing Well, Places in Balance, Places With Troubles, and Worst-Rated.

Norway's Fjords region took the top spot with an overall score of 86 points; heavily protected scenery and a well-preserved rural culture were noted. Several other destinations made the top "Best Rated Places" category, including Japan's Ancient Kyoto for it's commitment to honoring the "serenity and charm of ancient Japan", and Slovenia for being one of the most sustainable and authentic destinations in Europe. The United Kingdom placed high on the leader board, with the most winners in the top category: England's Yorkshire Dales, Scotland's Highlands, and Wales.

Across the pond, the top-scoring U.S state was Vermont for its scenic countryside, and its environmental and social sustainability efforts, but two other U.S. Destinations made the top category as well: Oregon and Washington's Columbia Gorge and Massachusetts Berkshires. Our neighbor to north, Canada, took places #2 and #3 overall, for for British Columbia's Kootenay and Yoho national parks on the western slope of the Canadian Rockies and for Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula that juts into the Gulf of St. Lawrence with oceanfront, islands and mountains.

The survey is the cover feature of the November-December 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine, on newsstands now. To learn more about the 133 destinations ranked, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler

The Center for Sustainable Development, which conducted the survey, hopes that the results will bring attention to those destinations doing well, and to those that aren't, due to reckless development and commercialism. The Center is dedicated to protecting the world's distinctive places through wisely managed geotourism and enlightened destination stewardship.

Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Tours

Much in the same way, Sustainable Travel International (STI) works with tourism providers to put sustainability policies and procedures into place, to preserve and protect some of the very same destinations ranked in the survey.

Recently, STI has teamed up with the Ocean Conservation and Tourism Alliance (OCTA), a joint initiative of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and Conservation International (CI), to work with a select group of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' (RCCL) marine shore excursion providers in a new test pilot program to help establish a baseline criteria for sustainable marine tours.

The OCTA developed and publicly vetted the Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Marine-based Tours are designed to assist cruise lines in identifying the extent to which shore excursion providers are meeting operating standards in order to ensure that marine tours provide quality and value, while supporting local communities and environmental conservation.

Participating marine shore operators have the chance to become early adopters of the criteria for sustainable marine tours by undergoing an audit that will help the company assess to what degree it is complying with the identified operating standards.

The test pilot program participants—based in Cozumel, in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and St. Maarten—use the OCTA's Criteria and Indicators to score themselves in various categories, ranging from supply chain management, waste and water management, and hiring practices, all the way to the actual site placement of infrastructure. This self-assessment gives the companies the opportunity to identify their own strengths and weaknesses prior to STI completing an on-site verification.

On-site verifications ensure that each operator is implementing policies and procedures on the ground.
It is designed to help educate and inform managers and staff. Guidance is provided on how to make operational improvements, based on both the self-assessment, and the site visit.

STI then helps operators draft policies, and make customized suggestions as to how to implement procedures that align with the company's existing operations.

Having a guideline helps make implementing sustainability policies and procedures easier and more approachable which in turn will help marine shore operators protect the destinations they serve from the impacts of tourism.

Businesses can get involved by participating in our programs:

http://sustainabletravelinternational.qm4.net/a/0/10175791/581515/default.aspx