Rough Guides publish the 24 best destinations in the world
Scotland’s UNESCO Trail has been named in Rough Guides’ 24 best destinations to visit in 2024.
Launched in 2021, the dedicated digital trail connects 13 place-based designations across the country, including World Heritage Sites, Biospheres, Global Geoparks and Creative Cities.
It was designed specifically to support the ambitions of the national strategy to make Scotland a world-leading responsible tourism destination by encouraging visitors to stay longer, visit all year round, make sustainable travel choices, explore more widely and at the right time of the year, and in turn, contribute to the sustainable quality of life of those communities surrounding the designated sites.
Scotland’s UNESCO Trail is highlighted in the Rough Guides’ list under the category ‘Best destinations for meaningful travel’.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:
“Responsible tourism is at the heart of Scotland’s UNESCO Trail and so it’s fantastic so see Rough Guides recognising the trail as one of the best for meaningful travel.
“The trail takes visitors on an inspirational journey through Scotland’s rich history and heritage, stunning landscapes and the art, music and literature which create our unique culture.
“It is all part of our sustainable destination development to encourage visitors to stay longer, travel sustainably and explore our regions throughout the year.
“This recognition is further proof of the popularity that Scotland holds for visitors worldwide and will give encouragement to industry for the coming year.”
Anne Anderson, Chair of the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO, said:
“We are delighted that the Scotland’s UNESCO Trail has received commendation from such an authoritative travel publisher as Rough Guides.
“As noted by the authors, the variety of UNESCO sites around Scotland is incredible and they have achieved UNESCO Designation status because they are so special, in so many ways, to so many people.
“Working with VisitScotland and the Designations themselves to create the Trail that celebrates this, and brings them to new audiences, was an honour and we look forward to continuing to develop these relationships over the coming years.”
The full list of designations included in Scotland’s UNESCO Trail are the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, Wester Ross UNESCO Biosphere, Dundee UNESCO City of Design, Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature, Glasgow UNESCO City of Music, Shetland UNESCO Global Geopark, North West Highlands UNESCO Global Geopark, the Forth Bridge UNESCO World Heritage Site, Frontiers of the Roman Empire: Antonine Wall UNESCO World Heritage Site, New Lanark UNESCO World Heritage Site, Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site, Old and New Towns of Edinburgh UNESCO World Heritage Site, St Kilda World Heritage Site.
The Trail can be found here: https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/unesco-trail
