In your travels, you may have heard the term UNESCO Heritage Site and thought, “This is probably something important, but what does it mean?” I know I certainly have (I had that exact thought about the Leshan Giant Buddha I featured two weeks ago, which is a UNESCO Site). And yet, I never gave UNESCO much thought, or even wondered what UNESCO is, until this week’s Travel Talk on Twitter topic: UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
According to their website, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization seeks to encourage the identification, protection, and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.
So what does that mean? Marking a place as a UNESCO world heritage site allows people from around the world to appreciate its significance.
Image source: destination360.com
There are over 1000 UNESCO World Heritage sites scattered around the world, and they can range in size and dimension from iconic buildings and statues; to national parks; to entire cities. So why should you, as a traveler, care about UNESCO sites? For one, you can use them as landmarks around which you can plan your trip. Perhaps you are planning a tour of Europe. If you check the UNESCO website, you will see that Italy, Spain, France and Germany are some of the top five countries with the most world heritage sites. This may inspire you to include these nations in your tour. Planning your trip around world heritage sites can turn a trip from ordinary to culturally enlightening. For example, Mexico is also one of the top five countries with the most sites. Why not try to visit a few rather than sticking to the typical beach resort?
Image source: thetravelworld.com
UNESCO also brings light to cultural sites in your homeland you may not have considered to be significant. My home country, Canada, has 17 World Heritage Sites. Exploring heritage sites in your homeland can make you proud (and knowledgeable) of your own country’s history.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites give us a new perspective on the world and what makes it great. We challenge you to include one in your next travel destination!
Image source: img.src.ca
