Authentic, unspoilt and likely to remain so In 2007 the National
Geographic Traveler carried out a survey among 111 island
communities all over the world. In the words of National
Geographic Traveler the reson for doing an island survey was
that "islands symbolize vacation. Escape! Their very insularity
makes them attractive. They are worlds unto themselves—their own
traditions, ecosystems, cultures, landscapes. That's what
attracts us. But as micro-worlds, islands – the world’s most
appealing destinations - are the ones most prone to tourism
overkill." In the survey a panel of 522 well-traveled experts in
sustainable tourism were asked to rank 111 different islands.
This survey rates the qualities that make a destination
unique—"integrity of place". The panelists were asked to
evaluate just the islands with which they were familiar, using
six criteria weighted according to importance: - Environmental
and ecological quality Social and cultural integrity Condition
of historic buildings and archaeological sites