ISSUE 108, DECEMBER 2022

Despite the turbulence of recent years, and the current economic situation, the world continues to turn, and tourism initiatives continue to develop, regardless of everything going on around us.

Compiled by National Geographic Traveller editors across the globe, the annual Best of the World list reflects the travel landscape as we see it for the 12 months ahead. With options on your doorstep, a short hop across to Europe or much further afield, this year’s 35 destinations offer insight into a vast array of experiences available for visitors from far and wide.

But rather than simply being a list to tick off, it’s a closer look at cultural reawakenings, conservation initiatives and Indigenous programmes focused on improving, preserving and developing destinations for the benefit of local people and wildlife, as much as travellers. And, in many cases, the money that tourism brings continues to benefit the parts of the world that need it the most.

The key ethos of National Geographic Traveller — sustainable, authentic travel — has always been at the heart of everything we do. But that lens has shifted over the years and come to mean different things — travel is a luxury the world can’t live without, but it’s a luxury we now have to think very carefully about.

From a UNESCO visitor centre in Bath and the role citizen science is playing in conservation in Tanzania to the reopened Trans-Bhutan Trail connecting communities across the Himalayan country, Best of the World highlights some of the most exciting and exceptional experiences around the planet in 2023.

Pat Riddell, editor

NATGEOTRAVELUK