In National Geographic’s survey from 2006 on the most popular World Heritage sites, two fjords in Norway - the Geirangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord - emerged as winners. Competitors were the great wall of China, Galapagos, the pyramids of Egypt, Grand Canyon, Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu.
- This seems to confirm that Norwegians tend to take excellent care of their places compared to the rest of the world. These are skills that leaders in other places would do well to study and adapt to their own situations, says Jonathan B. Tourtellot, Director of the Center for Sustainable Destinations, National Geographic Society.
International experts were asked to rank and reward places that have successfully managed to safeguard the characteristics for which the sites were originally granted World Heritage status by UNESCO.
The wharf in Bergen was the other Norwegian site on the survey. It was finally put in the group called "Destinations Doing Well." Survey panelists evaluated not only the World Heritage sites, but also the surrounding areas that constitute each travel destination as a whole.