Açores:Segundas ilhas melhores do mundo

in: www.nacionalgeographic.com

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.
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.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.AfricaCaribbean RegionEast & Southeast AsiaIndian Ocean RegionMediterraneanNorth & West EuropeNorth AmericaPacific/Australia/NZSouth America
The list, by score87 Faroe Islands, Denmark84 Azores, Portugal82 Lofoten, Norway82 Shetland Islands, Scotland82 Chiloé, Chile81 Isle of Skye, Scotland80 Kangaroo Island, South Australia80 Mackinac Island, Michigan80 Iceland79 Molokai, Hawaii78 Aran Islands, Ireland78 Texel, Netherlands77 Dominica77 Grenadines76 Tasmania76 Bora Bora, French Polynesia76 Fraser Island, Australia76 Bornholm, Denmark76 Hydra (Ídra), Greece76 Falkland Islands (U.K.)75 Corsica, France75 Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia74 Vanuatu, Melanesia74 Santa Catalina Island, California73 Upolu and Savai'i, Samoa73 Isle of Man (U.K.)72 Palawan, Philippines72 Moorea, French Polynesia72 Block Island, Rhode Island71 Ilha Grande, Brazil71 Sardinia, Italy71 Hvar, Croatia71 Jersey and Guernsey (U.K.)70 San Juan Islands, Washington State70 St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands70 Seychelles70 Anguilla (U.K.)70 Nevis69 Palau, Micronesia69 Cook Islands69 Prince Edward Island, Canada69 Salt Spring Island, Gulf Islands, British Columbia69 Mount Desert Island, Maine69 Réunion (France)68 Bonaire68 Sicily, Italy68 St. Vincent68 Yasawa group, Fiji67 Pemba, Tanzania67 Hawaii (Big Island)66 Out Islands, Bahamas66 Bermuda, North Atlantic66 Tobago66 São Tomé and Príncipe65 Cyprus, Turkish side65 Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique65 Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts64 Solomon Islands64 Jeju/Cheju, South Korea64 Ocracoke, Outer Banks, North Carolina64 Kauai, Hawaii64 St. Lucia63 Nantucket, Massachusetts62 Martinique (France)62 Corfu, Greece62 Crete, Greece62 Lombok, Indonesia62 Barbados61 Tonga, Polynesia61 Madeira Islands, Portugal61 Tortola, British Virgin Islands61 Islands of Lake Titicaca, Peru/Bolivia61 Sanibel, Florida61 Santorini, Greece61 Maldives (except Malé)59 Grenada59 Capri, Italy59 Tahiti, French Polynesia59 St. Kitts58 Viti Levu, Fiji57 Maui, Hawaii57 Bali, Indonesia57 Cape Verde Islands57 Curaçao 55 Isla Mujeres, Mexico55 Malta (all islands)55 Guadeloupe55 Mauritius54 Mykonos, Greece54 Federated States of Micronesia54 Mallorca, Spain53 St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands53 Zanzibar, Tanzania52 Canary Islands, Spain51 Puerto Rico51 Cyprus, Greek side50 Antigua49 Hatteras Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina48 Aruba (Netherlands)47 Grand Cayman47 Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras47 St. Martin (Netherlands/France)47 Cozumel, Mexico46 Oahu, Hawaii46 Key West, Florida46 Phuket, Thailand45 Hilton Head, South Carolina44 Jamaica44 Providenciales, Turks and Caicos37 Ibiza, Spain37 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands