Farmers cultivate land in eastern Taiwan’s Cihalaay Cultural Landscape Area, which was included in the 2016 Sustainable Destinations Top 100. (Courtesy of Fengnan Community Development Association)
Taiwan’s Cihalaay Cultural Landscape Area and Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area have been included in the 2016 Sustainable Destinations Top 100, a global ranking conducted by some of the world’s leading authorities on environmentally responsible tourism.
Located in Fuli Township of eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County, the Cihalaay Cultural Landscape Area, a village inhabited by members of the indigenous Amis tribe, was selected primarily due to farmers’ commitment to eco-friendly practices. “This Taiwanese destination is known for its rich natural resources, rice terraces and historical irrigation systems that are still used by the local tribal people,” according to the description on the Sustainable Destinations Top 100 website. “Locals do not use herbicides and pesticides and they promote organic rice farming.”
The Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area was chosen for “offering its visitors green mountains, clear waters as well as cultural heritage sites,” the website said. “The destination develops eco-friendly tourism and its effective use in tourism.”
A follow-up to the 2014 Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100, the rankings assessed destinations’ performance across five themes: nature and scenery; environment and climate; culture and tradition; people and hospitality; and sustainable destination management.
The latter, the most important in the evaluation process, was measured through a destination’s compliance to the 15 core criteria of the Green Destinations Standard, a tool designed to measure, monitor and improve the sustainability of areas around the world. These factors include accessibility, nature protection, reduction of fossil fuel dependency, and waste water treatment.
Sustainable Travel International Taiwan Chairwoman Monique Chen, who accepted the award on behalf of the Cihalaay Cultural Landscape Area at a ceremony Sept. 27 in the Slovenian capital of Ljublijana, noted the U.N. World Tourism Organization has declared 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism Development. She said the inclusion of two Taiwan locations in the global ranking underscores efforts by the government and local communities to advance the U.N. goal of sustainable tourism development. (KH-E)
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