Laurence Dollimore
SPAIN is the most sustainable holiday destination in the world and should be top of your list to visit in 2024.
That’s according to the latest rankings by the highly-respected Lonely Planet.
The country was named as the most sustainable in the publication’s Best In Travel awards, which were released to celebrate 50 years of the travel guide.
A spokesperson said: “One of the globe’s most popular destinations, sun-washed Spain is making enormous strides in boosting off-season travel to spread visitors across the year and to encourage travel to overlooked destinations.
“New cycle paths, electric buses and train routes offer flight-free ways to see the country.
“Creative small-scale hotels and other initiatives are revitalising the country’s rural areas and new train routes are making flight-free travel a breeze.”
Lonely Planet cited the Jardin del Turia in Valencia as a prime example of Spain’s strides towards a sustainable tourism model.
The urban park, one of the largest in Spain, is spread over nine kilometres and features picturesque paths lined with orange and palm trees, becoming a tourist attraction in its own right.
And in a bid to reduce pressure in tourism meccas like Barcelona and the Costa del Sol, Spain is encouraging holiday makers to visit lesser-known villages and towns.
It comes after a wave of anti-tourism campaigns cropped up across the country this year, including in Marbella, Sevilla and the Balearics.
Vigo, in Galicia, for example, was recently voted as one of the best locations to explore, according to flight comparison app Skyscanner.
