The Alternative Travel Index uses a wide range of data from prominent international organizations and institutions, to identify the World’s Best Alternative Travel Destinations, with a specific focus on Ecotourism, Active Travel, and Cultural Travel. Here’s the complete list of the indicators used:
| Indicator | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global Peace Index | Safety & Security | Vision of Humanity |
| Access to improved sanitation | Health & Hygiene | WHO |
| Access to improved drinking water | Health & Hygiene | WHO |
| Hospital beds/10,000 pop. | Health & Hygiene | World Bank |
| Number of World Heritage natural sites | The Environment | UNESCO |
| Environmental Performance Index | The Environment | Yale University |
| Number of World Heritage cultural sites | Culture | UNESCO |
| Oral and intangible cultural heritage | Culture | UNESCO |
| Visa requirements | Other | UNWTO |
| Quality of electricity supply | Other | WEF |
| Quality of air transport infrastructure | Other | WEF |
| Quality of railroad infrastructure | Other | WEF |
| Ground transport efficiency | Other | WEF |
| Price competitiveness | Other | WEF |
| Population and tourists density peak | Other | Author |
| ATMs per 100,000 adults | Other | World Bank |
The Index is calculated every year in mid-April as a weighted average of the indicators, taking into account the relevance of each of them for an alternative traveler. The population and tourists density indicator, in particular, is supposed to reflect the negative impact of mass tourism. The list of countries covered (136) and some of the indicators come from the World Economic Forum’s TTCI.
More weight is given to environmental or cultural indicators in compiling the corresponding lists (Top 10 Eco/Active Travel and Top 10 Cultural Travel), while the Top 20 Most Underrated Travel Destinations includes the countries that get the highest score in proportion to the number of tourists they receive annually.
Data are missing for Cuba, Greenland, Maldives, Myanmar, and Seychelles.
You can consult all rankings in our Destinations section. For any further information or question about the Index, please feel free to get in touch.