T&T makes National Geographic's 'Best of the World 2023' list

Trinidad and Tobago has made National Geographic's annual list of superlative destinations for travellers to visit next year.
The list, which features 25 breathtaking places and experiences for 2023, was split into five categories including community, nature, culture, family and adventure.
The 'Best of the World 2023' list is as follows:
Community: Where conservation benefits everyone

• Greece — Visit the Dodecanese Islands where women-led ventures are leading the charge in sustainable tourism.
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Spend a long weekend in a vibrant Great Lakes city that celebrates its cultural community as much as its breweries.
• Alberta, Canada — Experience how long-held traditions and contemporary perspectives intersect with Indigenous tourism outfitters.
• Laos — Board a new high-speed train that makes lesser known regions accessible to tourists and brings economic opportunities to locals.
• Ghana — Explore Black heritage and hang out with a fashion-forward crowd in the capital, Accra.

Nature: Escapes to wild, beautiful places 

• Botswana — Marvel at the biodiversity as well as the programmes to rehabilitate endangered species, create wildlife corridors, and develop community-owned tourism projects.
• Scottish Highlands — Linger in the place where a rewilding movement is aiming to restore the original landscape and native flora and fauna.
• Slovenia —  A longtime leader in sustainable tourism, set off on new gastrotourism biking routes that visit farms, vineyards, cheesemakers, and other food producers.
• Big Bend National Park (Texas, United States) -- The park brings to life the frontier legend of Texas but the landscape will also surprise you.
• Azores, Portugal — Applaud award-winning sustainability programmes that conserve the natural wonders of this volcanic archipelago known for whale watching and thermal springs. 

Culture: Places where history and heritage rule

• Egypt — Visit King Tut’s new home at Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum and see Luxor’s Avenue of the Sphinxes.
• Busan, South Korea — Visit the nation’s second-largest city.
• Italy’s Appian Way — Make a pilgrimage through Europe’s ancient "superhighway".
• Charleston, South Carolina — Explore culture and history - with a side of Low Country cuisine - at the International African American Museum.
• Longmen Grottoes — See one of the world’s largest assemblages of stone statues at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Henan Province, China.

Family: Inspiring journeys for all ages

• Trinidad and Tobago — Help save the turtles in one of the most important leatherback turtle rookeries in the world.
•  Switzerland — Ride the rails to quaint Alpine towns for chocolate, hiking, and skiing.
• San Francisco, California — Gather around a campfire with Golden Gate views at Presidio Tunnel Tops and hike the urban Crosstown Trail.
• Colombia — Go birdwatching in the avian paradise that is also the enchanted land of Disney’s Encanto. 
• Manchester, England — Visit the playing grounds of a storied soccer team and be inspired by the city's art scene.

Adventure: Adrenaline-pumping outdoor excursions

• Choquequirao, Peru — An isolated Inca site that’s under the radar but soon to be more accessible.
• New Zealand —  Rekindle your sense of adventure post-pandemic in the country that invented bungee jumping.
• Utah, United States of America — Get your adrenaline rush in less visited areas of the popular adventure state.
• Austria — Hike the cross-country Bergsteigerdörfer network of mountaineering villages to sample local culture.
• Revillagigedo National Park, Mexico — Its protected waters boast the largest aggregations of sharks and manta rays in the world. (Source:  The Loop, October 26, 2022)