If visiting a UNESCO World Heritage Site like the Great Barrier Reef or the Pyramids of Giza is on your bucket list, I’ve got a few options that may give you some new travel goals.
World Heritage Sites are man-made or natural sites that are given special recognition and protection for their cultural importance. UNESCO recently added 24 new sites to the list.
The only new one in the U.S. is in Texas—the Spanish colonial San Antonio Missions— and it includes the famous Alamo.
In Jamaica, the Blue and Crow Mountains were also named heritage sites. They’re natural sites, but they represent cultural importance to the Windward Maroon community in its fight for freedom from British rule.
if you’re a fan of wine in any way, you can check off a World Heritage site when you visit France’s two new designated areas: the region of Burgundy and the hillsides and cellars of Champagne.
Here’s the full list of new UNESCO World Heritage Sites, organized by region:
Africa
Cape Floral Region Protected Areas, South Africa
Asia
Baekje Historic Areas, Republic of Korea
Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape, Mongolia
Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Viet Nam
Singapore Botanical Gardens, Singapore
Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining, Japan
Caribbean
Blue and John Crow Mountains, Jamaica
Europe
Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale, Italy
Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars, France
Christiansfeld, a Moravian Church Settlement, Denmark
Climats, terroirs of Burgundy, France
Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain, Spain
Rjukan–Notodden Industrial Heritage Site, Norway
Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus, Germany
The par force hunting landscape in North Zealand, Denmark
Middle East
Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas), Jordan
Cultural Landscape of Maymand, Iran
Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape, Turkey
Necropolis of Bet She’arim: A Landmark of Jewish Renewal, Israel
Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
North America
Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System, Mexico
South America
Fray Bentos Industrial Landscape, Uruguay
Click here to learn about more can’t-miss destinations around the world.
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