National Geographic Traveler
All travel, All the time
 



Features
November/December 2007
Archives
features_global.html
Highlights
Authentic Shopping Guide

 
Photo: Indian shoes

Find authentic handcrafted items from around the world.
» Click Here


Ultimate Travel Library

 
Photo: travel books

Take a globe-spanning literary ramble with the world's best travel books.
» Click Here


 
Photo of the Week

 
Photo: Boats on the Douro River, Portugal

Brighten your workday! Download a new Traveler photo every week . . . free.
» Get Wallpaper


 
North Pole Photo Gallery

 
Photo: North Pole expedition

Learn how to enjoy the Eternal City's rich history, culture, and art without spending a single euro.
» Click Here


 
WorldWise Trivia Quiz

 
Photo: Marula fruit as a headdress

Test your geography IQ with our interactive quiz.
» Play Now


 
A*List: Best of Travel Newsletter

 
Photo: Vlissingen, Netherlands

Sign up for our newsletter packed with tried-and-true travel tips, exclusive deals, book discounts, and more!
» Click Here


51 Ways to Cut Vacation Costs

 
Photo: Los Angeles International Airport

Don't get caught in a tourist money trap. Learn how to avoid hidden charges, and get expert money-saving tips.
» Click Here


 

Destinations Rated: Islands
Text by Jonathan B. Tourtellot    Photograph by Grant Dixon/Lonely Planet Images
Photo: Kalsoy of the Faroe Islands
Tiny Kallur lighthouse rests high on the island of Kalsoy, one of the Faroe Islands.

The world's most appealing destinations—islands—are the ones most prone to tourism overkill. Our 522 experts vote on which ones avoid the danger, which are succumbing to it, and which hang in the balance.

T

ourism is a phenomenon that can cook your food or burn your house down. In other words, we all risk destroying the very places that we love the most.

Nowhere more so than on islands. Islands symbolize vacation. Escape! Their very insularity makes them more attractive than a comparable piece of real estate on the mainland. They are worlds unto themselves—their own traditions, ecosystems, cultures, landscapes. That's what attracts us. But as micro-worlds, islands are also more vulnerable to population pressure, climate change, storm damage, invasive species, and now, tourism overkill.

To see how the integrity of islands around the world is holding up, Traveler and our National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations conducted this fourth annual Destination Scorecard survey, aided by George Washington University. A panel of 522 experts in sustainable tourism and destination stewardship donated time to review conditions in these 111 selected islands and archipelagos. The scores that follow reflect the experts' opinions. Quoted phrases from their remarks suggest the thinking behind the scores.

The results show that beach-blessed islands draw sun-and-sand resort tourism development that can get out of hand quickly, although there are exceptions. Multiple cruise-ship crowds can also overwhelm an island, transforming it.

No surprise, then, that cloudy, beach-poor islands score well. Yet even these cooler islands are sometimes losing traditional families to soaring real estate prices.


Get an illustrated version of this article as it was published in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Download PDF now. (Requires Adobe Acrobat.)


All the islands that follow, even the lowest scoring, have great experiences to discover. To protect them, to restore them, we must value them as much as resort developers and cruise companies do. Even more.


Guide to the Scores:
0-25: Catastrophic: all criteria very negative, outlook grim.
26-49: In serious trouble.
50-65: In moderate trouble: all criteria medium-negative or a mix of negatives and positives.
66-85: Minor difficulties.
86-95: Authentic, unspoiled, and likely to remain so.
96-100: Enhanced. 
 
Meet our Panelists
 
About the Survey
 
Click on a part of the world below to read a sample of our panelists' comments.

Africa
Caribbean Region
East & Southeast Asia
Indian Ocean Region
Mediterranean
North & West Europe
North America
Pacific/Australia/NZ
South America


The list, by score


87     Faroe Islands, Denmark
84     Azores, Portugal
82     Lofoten, Norway
82     Shetland Islands, Scotland
82     Chiloé, Chile
81     Isle of Skye, Scotland
80     Kangaroo Island, South Australia
80     Mackinac Island, Michigan
80     Iceland
79     Molokai, Hawaii
78     Aran Islands, Ireland
78     Texel, Netherlands
77     Dominica
77     Grenadines
76     Tasmania
76     Bora Bora, French Polynesia
76     Fraser Island, Australia
76     Bornholm, Denmark
76     Hydra (Ídra), Greece
76     Falkland Islands (U.K.)
75     Corsica, France
75     Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
74     Vanuatu, Melanesia
74     Santa Catalina Island, California
73     Upolu and Savai'i, Samoa
73     Isle of Man (U.K.)
72     Palawan, Philippines
72     Moorea, French Polynesia
72     Block Island, Rhode Island
71     Ilha Grande, Brazil
71     Sardinia, Italy
71     Hvar, Croatia
71     Jersey and Guernsey (U.K.)
70     San Juan Islands, Washington State
70     St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
70     Seychelles
70     Anguilla  (U.K.)
70     Nevis
69     Palau, Micronesia
69     Cook Islands
69     Prince Edward Island, Canada
69     Salt Spring Island, Gulf Islands, British Columbia
69     Mount Desert Island, Maine
69     Réunion (France)
68     Bonaire
68     Sicily, Italy
68     St. Vincent
68     Yasawa group, Fiji
67     Pemba, Tanzania
67     Hawaii (Big Island)
66     Out Islands, Bahamas
66     Bermuda, North Atlantic
66     Tobago
66     São Tomé and Príncipe
65     Cyprus, Turkish side
65     Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique
65     Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
64     Solomon Islands
64     Jeju/Cheju, South Korea
64     Ocracoke, Outer Banks, North Carolina
64     Kauai, Hawaii
64     St. Lucia
63     Nantucket, Massachusetts
62     Martinique (France)
62     Corfu, Greece
62     Crete, Greece
62     Lombok, Indonesia
62     Barbados
61     Tonga, Polynesia
61     Madeira Islands, Portugal
61     Tortola, British Virgin Islands
61     Islands of Lake Titicaca, Peru/Bolivia
61     Sanibel, Florida
61     Santorini, Greece
61     Maldives (except Malé)
59     Grenada
59     Capri, Italy
59     Tahiti, French Polynesia
59     St. Kitts
58     Viti Levu, Fiji
57     Maui, Hawaii
57     Bali, Indonesia
57     Cape Verde Islands
57     Curaçao
55     Isla Mujeres, Mexico
55     Malta (all islands)
55     Guadeloupe
55     Mauritius
54     Mykonos, Greece
54     Federated States of Micronesia
54     Mallorca, Spain
53     St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
53     Zanzibar, Tanzania
52     Canary Islands, Spain
51     Puerto Rico
51     Cyprus, Greek side
50     Antigua
49     Hatteras Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina
48     Aruba (Netherlands)
47     Grand Cayman
47     Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras
47     St. Martin (Netherlands/France)
47     Cozumel, Mexico
46     Oahu, Hawaii
46     Key West, Florida
46     Phuket, Thailand
45     Hilton Head, South Carolina
44     Jamaica
44     Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
37     Ibiza, Spain
37     St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands


More Traveler's Places Rated


E-mail a Friend





Traveler Subscription Offer

Our Picks

Center for Sustainable Destinations

Learn how to preserve the authenticity of the places you love.

» Click Here


National Geographic Traveler Places of a Lifetime
Our guides lead you to the best in ten world-class cities with photo galleries, walking tours, and what to know before you go.

» Click Here


The National Geographic Traveler Reader Panel

Are you a real traveler? Someone who cares about authenticity? Who has a point of view about where we should travel—and how? Then tell us what you think and be eligible to win a trip to almost anywhere in the United States.

» Click Here