Best destination for architectural heritage

A tourism destination, heritage site or attraction that protects, conserves and promotes built cultural heritage.

Previous winners

Best destination
2011
Winner: Destination Røros, Norway
"This former mining-town in Norway may have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, but it's been preserving traditions as a tourist destination for over 85 years. Attracting over one million visitors each year, the town of just 3700 inhabitants maintains its sense of place through a 'local knowledge' programme run for over 90 businesses, local food safaris and much more."

Highly commended:
Forest of Bowland, UK
2010
Winner: Nurture Lakeland, UK
"With over 17 years experience of inspiring businesses to support conservation and adopt sustainable tourism practices Nurture Lakeland is a pioneer of local tourism partnerships. This destination's results speak for themselves - £1.7 million has been raised working with 1,200 tourism businesses in fundraising for local conservation projects. Campaigns such as a car free scheme and the Herdy Fund have been successful at encouraging visitors to the area to ditch the car, as well as promoting the conservation of the Herdwick sheep, and the rural lifestyle associated with upland fell farming in Cumbria and the lakes."

Highly commended:
Kangaroo Valley Tourist Association, Australia

2009
Winner: City of Cape Town, South Africa
The City of Cape Town has taken responsibility for identifying and prioritising local issues from a responsible tourism perspective. The City’s Tourism Department has worked in conjunction with its colleagues in the city administration and the industry to develop a Responsible Tourism Charter which commits both the industry and the city government to address the local priorities and to report on progress. Signatories have committed to define measurable goals and to monitor and report publicly on progress.

Highly commended:
Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, UK

2008
Winner: New Zealand
For developing an integrated approach to tourism development at the national level and managing it: identifying and then attracting those tourists who contribute most to the economy, focussing on yield rather than merely on numbers of arrivals, spreading the benefits of tourism and fully integrating environmental issues into its quality standard Qualmark Green.

Highly commended:
Town of Bouctouche, Canada
St Peter's, Broadstairs, Isle of Thanet, Kent, UK

2007
Winner: The New Forest
For demonstrating how the economic, social and environmental objectives of Responsible Tourism can be achieved with the full participation of all the stakeholders at the destination level. The New Forest has set an example which others are seeking to emulate and surpass.

Highly commended:
Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
Costa Rica

2006
Winner: Aspen, Colorado
This is a destination with a long list of ‘green firsts’. Thanks to the efforts of the Aspen Skiing Company, it is leading the field in environmentally friendly skiing as well as destination stewardship, pushing for affordable housing, investing in local farmland and subsidizing local buses. A widely replicable format that the judges felt should influence European destinations.

Highly commended:
The Greenbox, North West Ireland
Travel Foundation Tobago