[Above: Inside Passage (grade “C+”), Alaska. Photo: Jonathan Tourtellot]
From 2004 to 2010, National Geographic expert panelists weighed environment, cultural factors, built heritage, aesthetics, tourism management, and overall trend for each destination. These grades reflect their consensus, reported on five pages:
- Among the Best: Destinations from A to B+
- Doing Well: B and B-
- Below: In the Balance: C+ to C
- Slipping: C-
- In Trouble: D+ to F
Download a pdf of all 440 destination grades, listed by country.
THE LIST part 3: IN THE BALANCE
The largest category, these destinations are also the most important from a triage point of view. A mix of positive and negative factors means they have an opportunity to improve without needing a massive overhaul.
C+
Still OK, but with issues; slightly more positive and than negative.
| Country | Destination |
| India | Rajasthan as a whole |
| South Korea | Jeju/Cheju ⚑ |
| Sri Lanka | Galle |
| Vietnam | Hue |
| Australia: Victoria | Ballarat |
| U.S.: Hawaii | Kauai |
| Soloman Islands | as a whole |
| Vanuatu | as a whole |
| Hungary | Budapest historic areas |
| United Kingdom: England | Lake District ⚑ |
| Canada: B.C./U.S.: Alaska | Inside Passage |
| U.S.: Maine | Acadia National Park/Bar Harbor |
| U.S.: New Jersey | Cape May |
| U.S.: North Carolina | Ocracoke, Outer Banks |
| U.S.: Pennsylvania | Philadelphia historic areas |
| Peru | Colonial Arequipa |
| India | Kerala backwaters |
| Germany | Baltic coast |
| Greece | Medieval city of Rhodes |
| Ireland | Dublin historic areas |
| Morocco | Marrakech medina |
| U.S.: Arizona | Sonora desert |
| U.S.: California | California Napa-Sonoma wine country |
| U.S.: Colorado | Mesa Verde NP & area |
| U.S.: Kansas | Tallgrass Prairie National Park region |
| U.S.: Maryland | Annapolis |
| U.S.: Massachusetts | Nantucket |
| Netherlands Antilles (former) |
Bonaire ⚑ |
| Western Indian Ocean | Mauritius |
| Uganda | Bwindi Impenetrable Forest |
| Indonesia | Lombok |
| Nepal | Annapurna Circuit |
| Australia | Great Barrier Reef |
| Fiji | As a whole |
| U.S.: Hawaii | Maui |
| Czech Republic | Historic Prague |
| France | Mont-St-Michel |
| Greece | Corfu |
| Italy | Pompeii |
| U.S.: Alaska | Juneau |
| U.S.: California | Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP region |
| U.S.: Connecticut | Mystic seaport |
| U.S.: Georgia | Cumberland Island National Park & gateway |
| U.S.: New Mexico | Santa Fe |
| U.S.: Rhode Island | Newport |
| U.S.: Virginia | Shenandoah NP region |
| Costa Rica | as a whole |
| The Grenadines | as a whole |
| Martinique | as a whole |
| Tanzania | Swahili Coast |
| Maldives | All islands except Male |
| Uzbekistan | Bukhara |
| Vietnam | Hoi An |
| U.S.: Hawaii | Hawaii (Big island) |
| Tonga | as a whole |
| Italy | Costa Smeralda, N. Sardinia |
| Portugal | Madeira Islands |
| Portugal | Porto historic center |
| Portugal | Sintra ⚑ |
| Israel | Haifa |
| Tunisia | Carthage |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi |
| U.S.: Florida | St. Augustine |
| U.S.: South Dakota | Mt Rushmore/Badlands |
| U.S.: Texas | Texas Hill Country |
| U.S.: Washington | Puget Sound |
| British Virgin Islands | Tortola |
| Grenada | as a whole |
| Mexico | Tulum beach area (Tulum to Sian Kaan) |
| Mexico | Sea of Cortez and its coast |
| Argentina/Brazil | Iguazu |
| Bolivia | Islands of Lake Titicaca, Peru/Bolivia |
| Brazil | Salvador historic center |
| China | Suzhou gardens and town |
| Greece | Santorini |
| United Kingdom: England | Stonehenge |
| Jordan | Petra & area |
| Turkey | Turquoise Coast (Aegean) |
| U.S.: California | Lake Tahoe |
| U.S.: California | Santa Catalina & Channel Islands |
| St. Lucia | The Pitons |
| Indonesia | Bali as a whole |
C
About even between positive and negative factors.
| Laos | Louang Prabhang |
| Uzbekistan | Samarkhand |
| Italy | Capri |
| Romania | Sighisoara & Saxon Transylvania |
| Jamaica | Port Antonio area |
| St Kitts-Nevis | St. Kitts ⚑ |
| Chile | Valparaiso |
| Tanzania | Kilimanjaro |
| India | Blue City of Jodhpur historic areas |
| Indonesia | Borobudur |
| Fiji | Viti Levu |
| Spain | Tenerife, Canary Islands |
| U.S.: Colorado | Telluride valley |
| U.S.: Kentucky | Mammoth Cave National Park & gateway |
| U.S.: Massachusetts | Cape Cod |
| Belize | Reef and islands of Belize |
| Mexico | Sian Ka’an and environs |
| Bolivia | Lake Titicaca (Bolivia/Peru) |
| South Africa | Cape Town historic areas |
| Tanzania | Stone Town, Zanzibar |
| Cape Verde | Archipelago as a whole |
| Zambia | Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls |
| Greece | Athens Acropolis area |
| Spain | Mallorca |
| Turkey | Azure Coast |
| Curaçao | as a whole |
| Cuba | Old Havana and fortifications |
| Honduras | North coast |
| St. Lucia | as a whole |
| Vietnam | Hanoi historic areas |
| Tanzania | Ngorongoro crater |
| France | French Riviera |
| Malta | as a whole |
| Canada: Alberta | Banff National Park & gateway |
| Costa Rica | Pacific Coast |
| Dominican Republic | Samana peninsula |
| Guadeloupe | as a whole |
| Guatemala | Tikal/Flores |
| Peru | Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley |
| Kenya | Amboseli |
| China | Macao historic areas |
| Micronesia | Federated States of Micronesia |
| Thailand | Chang Mai |
| Greece | Mykonos |
| United Kingdom: England | Stratford upon Avon |
| Israel | Jerusalem (Old City and Walls) |
| Tunisia | Coastal resort region |
| Canada/U.S.: New York-Ontario | Niagara Falls |
| Kenya | Masai Mara |
| Tanzania | Zanzibar |
| U.S.: Florida | Sanibel Island & Captiva |
| Mexico | Chichén Itzá |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | St. Croix |
| Ethiopia | Rock-hewn churches, Lalibela |
| South Africa | KwaZulu-Natal coast |
| Zimbabwe | Victoria Falls Zimbabwe side |
| India | Agra sights – Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri |
| Indonesia | Bali coasts |
| Albania | Coastal regions |
| Greece | Crete N coast |
| Dominican Republic | Colonial Santo Domingo |
| Peru | Nazca lines area |
| China | Hainan |
| Thailand | The Andaman Sea Coast |
| Cyprus | Greek side |
| Italy | Venice and lagoon |
| U.S.: New York | Long Island Shore, Hamptons to Montauk |
| U.S.: Pennsylvania | Gettysburg |
| Puerto Rico | as a whole |
| U.S.: North Carolina | Outer Banks & Cape Hatteras National Seashore |
| India | Amritsar historic areas |
| French Polynesia | Tahiti |
| Antigua | as a whole |
| Ecuador | Galápagos Islands |
⚑ Recognized in 2014 by the Green Destinations group.
Note—These letter grades interpret some 80% of the numerical survey scores reported by National Geographic (weighted to favor the more recent scores). The Destination Stewardship Center has applied these grades independently, and we take sole responsibility for them. For the original numerical scores and panelist comments, consult the appropriate links to National Geographic. Please also read about methodology.