Travelers Visit World Heritage Sites to Expand Understanding of Culture, History

Earlier this month, UNESCO announced the latest 26 additions to the "World Heritage List" of important cultural and natural heritage properties around the world.  Among the additions to the list were the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, ancient Rabat, Morocco, and colorful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A leading cultural tour operator, Bestway Tours & Safaris, has experienced growing consumer interest in traveling to World Heritage sites.      

“Unlike on any other vacation, on our World Heritage tours, guests gain a deeper understanding of the historic cultures and connect with the people,” said Mahmood Poonja, "Chief Explorer" of Bestway Tours & Safaris in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. 

Bringing greater attention to World Heritage sites, 2012 marks the 40^th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention in Paris, which led to the creation of the World Heritage List, and, most unfortunately, some World Heritage sites, such as those in Mali and Syria, have been damaged by recent conflicts.

For travelers interested in visiting some of the 962 World Heritage sites across the globe, Bestway’s World Heritage Tours visit many of them.  For instance:

World Heritage Tours of Morocco

On this 14-day tour, adventurers visit major highlights of ancient Morocco, including new World Heritage list member, Rabat, and six other World Heritage sites.  Starting and concluding in Casablanca, the tour takes in Rabat, Fez, and Marrakesh, and travels through the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert and sparkling Atlantic Ocean coast.   2012 departures will be every Friday, and the tour cost starts at US$2880 per person.

India Northern & Southern Heritage

Travelers can experience the highlights of northern and southern India on this 29-day tour of this captivating country.  The comprehensive tour includes visits to 16 World Heritage sites including the Taj Mahal, the cave temples of Ajanta, and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.  Guests explore the cities of Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mysore.  2012 departures will be Sept. 23, Oct. 4, Nov. 21 and Dec. 1. The 29-day tour starts at $6525 per person, and shorter versions of this trip are offered.

Balkan Mosaic

Explorers on this 22-day escorted tour travel to 14 World Heritage sites in the mysterious Balkans.  It includes stops in Belgrade, Pristina, Skopje, Ohrid, Berat, Sarajevo, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Zagreb.  The tour offers visits to the old city of Dubrovnik, the holy Medjugorje pilgrimage site and a trip on the Sargan Eight heritage railroad.  2012 departures will be Sept. 15 and 2013 departures will be May 25 and September 14, and the tour cost starts at $4785.

Established in 1978 and “A+" rated by the Better Business Bureau, Bestway Tours offers more than 30 World Heritage Tours to destinations in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and South America.   Learn more about these tours at: http://www.bestway.com/ebrochures/wht/index.html or call toll-free 1-800-663-0844 (if calling from outside the US or Canada, 604-264-7378). 

Bestway positions its tours as “journeys without borders.”  As Poonja added, on these vacations, “Travelers can relive the heritage of the past while experiencing today’s exciting cultures. ”

For more details about World Heritage sites, including the latest additions to the list at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/newproperties    Also, the National Geographic provides interesting background at  http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/sites/