Bath has been named as one of the world’s most inspiring destinations by prestigious National Geographic Traveller magazine, which praised the recent investment in its world heritage sites.
The 35-strong annual list puts Bath alongside such diverse locations as Egypt, the Scottish Highlands, Austrian Alps and the Azores.
The magazine said its choice of destinations would help individuals get a jump on planning for the year ahead in a travel landscape “roaring” back from the impact of the pandemic.
The list is themed around travel destinations and experiences that leverage the benefits of tourism to strengthen their local communities and environments, both natural and built.
It also champions destinations and travel experiences that illuminate the world and the diversity of communities and people within it, with the magazine grouping them into four categories – Family, Adventure, Culture and Nature.
Bath features in the Family category, along with the only other UK city, Manchester, which is described as a “mecca for football fans is growing as an arts and culture hub.”
Bath’s entry in the list notes that despite being the UK’s only double-listed World Heritage Site it is developing new attractions.
It continues: “Bath may be one of the UK’s most visited cities, but it hasn’t been resting on its laurels in recent years.
“After a £5.5m renovation of its Roman Baths, pictured right, in 2011 and becoming a double-inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021 — one of 11 European spa towns — the Bath World Heritage Centre opened in May 2022 featuring interactive exhibits and displays about Bath’s history, Georgian architecture and unique geology.”
It goes on to say that Bath is not just about its ancient past, pointing out that last month Cleveland Pools, pictured below, Britain’s oldest lido, reopened after decades of neglect.
“Situated by the River Avon, the Grade II*-listed outdoor swimming pool dating back to 1815 was restored after an 18-year campaign to restore it,” it adds.
“And the £20m Bath Abbey Footprint project, which saw a complete restoration of the medieval abbey church, has neared completion with its new Discovery Centre.”
National Geographic Traveller (UK) editor Pat Riddell said the list reflected the travel landscape as the magazine sees it for the 12 months ahead.
"From a UNESCO visitor centre in Bath and the role citizen science is playing in conservation in Tanzania to the reopened Trans-Bhutan Trail connecting communities across the Himalayan country, Best of the World highlights some of the most exciting and exceptional experiences around the planet in 2023,” he added.
The list was created, researched, reported and written in collaboration with National Geographic Traveller’s international editorial teams, which serve millions of readers through their magazines and websites in more than a dozen offices around the world.
National Geographic Traveller (UK)’s Best of the World 2023 list is an extended version of National Geographic’s list of the same name with 25 entries and includes an additional 10 entries for a UK audience.
The praise for the Roman Baths follows their inclusion in the latest Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards, which ranked them as the world’s eighth best attraction and number one in the UK, making them more popular than the Eiffel Tower, Central Park and the Tower of London among Tripadvisor reviewers.
